Tunisia announces new national unity government after one - party rule , but protesters want more TUNIS ( AP ) ― Tunisia took a step toward democracy and reconciliation Monday , promising to free political prisoners and opening its government to opposition forces long shut out of power ― but the old guard held onto the key posts , angering protesters . Demonstrators carrying signs reading “ GET OUT ! ” demanded that the former ruling party be banished altogether ― a sign more troubles lie ahead for the new unity government as security forces struggle to contain violent reprisals , shootings and lootings three days after the country ’ s longtime president fled under pressure from the streets . “ We ’ re afraid that the president has left , but the powers ― that ― be remain , ” said Hylel Belhassen , a 51 ― year ― old insurance salesman . Even before the new government was announced Monday , security forces fired tear gas to repel demonstrators who see the change of power as Tunisia ’ s first real chance at democracy . President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled Friday to Saudi Arabia after a month of protests over unemployment and corruption led to his downfall after 23 years in power . The government announced Monday that 78 civilians have died in the month of unrest ― an announcement that underlined the depth of the violence in the usually placid Mediterranean tourist destination . Under autocratic Ben Ali , Tunisia was effectively under one - party rule . The new government named Monday includes three ministers from the opposition ― a first in Tunisia ― but members of Ben Ali ’ s RCD party held on to most of the jobs , including the most important posts . A soldier stands guard as people demonstrate during a protest in central Tunis on Monday . ( AFP - Yonhap News ) Security forces were getting an image makeover in the public mind . The once - feared police are fighting snipers and armed groups widely believed to be Ben Ali loyalists . Nearby nations , meanwhile , faced a wave of self - immolation attempts Monday , apparently influenced by the desperate Tunisian man who set himself on fire a month ago , sparking the protests that brought his president down . In Tunisia , hundreds of stranded tourists were still being evacuated from the country , and foreign airlines gradually resumed flights that were halted when Tunisian airspace closed amid the upheaval . Besides the 78 civilians killed in the monthlong protests , Interior Minister Ahmed Friaa said 94 civilians were injured ― a jump from the previous official death toll of 23 . The new figure does not include members of security forces , some of whom also died , Friaa said . Among victims of the violence was a French photojournalist who died Monday after being hit in the face with a tear gas canister three days earlier . The French Foreign Ministry said Loucas Von Zabiensky ― Mebrouk , 32 , was the “ ” victim of a deliberate homicidal act . ” The troubles have reverberated to the tourist ― based Tunisian economy , which Friaa said has lost $ 2 billion ( 3 billion dinars ) because of the unrest . Resort towns like Hammamet are boarded up and under police control , said Norredine Gohdbani , who worked in a restaurant there and has returned to stay with his family in Tunis . Friaa told reporters that 85 police stations have been damaged around the country , along with 13 town halls , 43 banks , 11 factories and 66 stores or shopping centers . Streets of the capital appeared calmer Monday but police were posted on most corners in downtown Tunis , with busloads of forces waiting to deploy along some streets . Most shops remained shuttered , but a rare eatery , a pizza restaurant , opened its doors ― filled mostly with hungry police officers . Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi offered a number of concessions to try to appease Ben Ali ’ s critics , while maintaining the ruling party ’ s dominance of government and public posts around the country . Ghannouchi , a longtime Ben Ali ally who has been premier since 1999 , retained his post , as did the current ministers of defense , interior and foreign affairs . Three opposition figures , including Nejib Chebbi , a founder of the opposition PDP party , will take up posts in the new government . More significantly , Ghannouchi pledged such measures as freeing political prisoners and lifting restrictions on a leading human rights group , the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights . He said the government would create three new state commissions to study political reform , investigate corruption and bribery , and examine abuses during the recent upheaval .