Tunisia: Attempts to find new head of government suspended as parties can't agree on candidate

TUNIS, Tunisia – Attempts to find a new head for Tunisia's government that would prepare the country for new elections have been suspended.

Houcine Abassi, head of the main labor union and main mediator in the talks, said late Monday said that the parties involved in the talks remain divided along partisan lines and can't agree on a single candidate to run the transition.

Tunisia's elected Islamist-led government had agreed to opposition demands to step down in favor of a transitional government that would oversee new elections.

Abassi predicted that the talks would resume soon because the country cannot handle more instability.

Tunisians kicked off the Arab Spring by overthrowing its dictator in 2011 but the transition to democracy has been beset by a struggling economy, terrorist attacks and bickering politicians.