Tunisian Parties Pick Rights Activist as President

TUNIS, Tunisia -- A Tunisian party official says a veteran human rights activist has been selected as the country's new interim president.

The head of the Congress for the Republic, Moncef Marzouki, will take on the role for the next year while a new constitution is being written, according to an official close to the party.

The agreement was reached between Ennahda, the Islamist Party that won 40 percent of the votes in the recent election and the CPR, which came second, the official added.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of negotiations.

The left of center Ettakatol, the Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties, which finished third had been pushing for leader Mustapha Ben Jaafar to become president, but negotiations had ended in a deadlock.