Public and private institutions in several Tunisian cities are currently being looted, said Shehab Abbas, a leader in Tunisia's Democratic Progressive Party.
Abbas said that the looters are "the gangs of Tunisia's ruling party." Popular protests are expected to continue today, he added.
Abbas said that the Tunisian people will carry on their revolt, adding that protests have continued despite the imposition of a curfew. "Our objective is to implement Chapter 57 of the constitution, which states that if the president steps down or his position becomes vacant, early elections should be called for after 60 days."
"As a member of the Progressive Democratic Party, I believed in revolution. Our demand was the opposite of that of the ruling party's leadership which did not understand how strong the people are," he went on. "The people do not want lower prices, they want to uproot the corrupt regime."
"The Tunisian revolution is a spontaneous, popular one, so nobody can speak about a particular framework for it. This, however, does not mean that parties, especially professional syndicates represented in the General Union for Tunisian Labor (UGTT), have not played a role in fueling the revolution."
Abbas added that Friday's protests–which were staged in front of the Ministry of Interior–came after the UGTT announced a general strike in the capital.
Abbas said that the Tunisian revolution is threatened by the looting gangs, which he said were sent out by the family of the president's wife. However, he added that the Tunisian people have formed popular committees to protect properties and clean up streets.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
