Tunis , Tunisia ( CNN ) -- Army tanks and armored personnel carriers patrolled the streets of Tunis Saturday , a day after the prime minister announced that he is the interim president -- the latest development in a story of unrest and public outrage in a tiny but significant corner of the Arab world . Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi announced Friday on Tunisian state TV that he has taken over the responsibilities of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali -- who ruled the nation since 1987 and fled in a plane Friday with his relatives . He left a country reeling . Before he stepped down , Ben Ali had dissolved the government and declared a state of emergency . Under the emergency declaration , people are not allowed on the street between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. Groups of three or more people are subject to arrest and , if they try to flee , can be fired on . His departure followed weeks of widespread outrage over poor living conditions and repression of rights . In daily demonstrations , thousands of protesters had denounced corruption in the Ben Ali government and had urged that he step down . He apparently got the message . Ghannouchi moved quickly to fill the vacuum . `` Considering the fact that at the current time he ( Ben Ali ) can not fulfill his duties , I take over today , the powers of the president of the republic , '' he told his countrymen . He appealed for calm and pledged to respect the constitution and to carry out the political , economic and social reforms announced this week by Ben Ali . Ghannouchi asked residents to cooperate with the army , which was ordered to take charge of the streets following a state-of-emergency declaration . Moving to calm widespread disillusionment with Ben Ali 's government , Ghannouchi told Arabic-language Al Jazeera Television that `` certain measures '' had already been taken against `` corrupt families . '' He was referring to those business owners who were close to Ben Ali . Ben Ali 's return to Tunisia `` is impossible , '' Ghannouchi said , adding that he would set a date for new elections after conferring Saturday `` with all political powers . '' And he extended a welcoming hand to government critics , saying that `` oppositions groups who reside overseas can return to the country . '' Meanwhile , the army appeared to be wielding the most power , staking out positions on major streets . `` We hope that the army will match its reputation for being more professional and less trigger-happy than the security forces that have been responsible for much of the violence over the last several weeks , '' said Amnesty International spokesman Claudio Cordone from London . In a telephone interview with CNNI , he said 55 people were killed in Tunisia over the last several weeks of demonstrations . Prior to his departure , Ben Ali had put the number at 21 . But the Army 's power had limits : Tunisia TV reported looting in different parts of the country on Friday . Ben Ali 's plane went on to Jeddah , Saudi Arabia , where the Saudi official news agency reports said he was welcomed by the king . Back in Tunis , the airport was under a lockdown Friday night , with the facility closed and ringed by soldiers . Reporters driving from the airport into the city were stopped several times at military checkpoints . A few gunshots could be heard at the airport , but otherwise the streets were quiet . Tunisia under Ben Ali has been a pro-Western state supportive of U.S. policy in the Middle East and in its efforts against terrorism . It has been a relatively stable and more prosperous country in what diplomats call `` a rough neighborhood . '' The education level in Tunisia is high for the Arab world , and the country is close to France and French culture . Events in Tunisia were being watched closely elsewhere . In Cairo , Egypt , about 45 protesters stood outside the Tunisian Embassy and chanted , `` Revolution in Tunisia is revolution in Egypt ! '' They promised to hold a larger demonstration Saturday evening . In Washington , Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States was monitoring the events . `` We condemn the violence and urge restraint on all sides , '' she said in a statement . She urged the Tunisian government to `` respect the right of its people to peacefully assemble and express their views '' and called for `` free and fair elections in the near future that reflect the true will and aspirations of the Tunisian people . '' The United States , France , and Britain have issued travel advisories , warning against nonessential visits , and a tourism company announced the evacuation of 2,000 German vacationers . U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for restraint , respect for freedom of expression and dialogue to resolve problems peacefully . Recent diplomatic cables from the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia obtained by WikiLeaks revealed growing disquiet with the government -- especially over nepotism within the government . WikiLeaks published a 2009 cable recounting a lavish dinner for the U.S. ambassador given by Ben Ali 's son-in-law , Mohamed Sakher El Materi , a prominent businessman . The ambassador wrote in the cable : `` After dinner , he served ice cream and frozen yogurt he brought in by plane from Saint Tropez ( a high-end French resort ) , along with blueberries and raspberries and fresh fruit and chocolate cake . '' The wave of demonstrations in Tunisia -- in which thousands of people protested high unemployment , alleged corruption , rising prices and limitations on rights -- was sparked by the suicide of an unemployed college graduate , a man who fatally torched himself in December after police confiscated his fruit cart , cutting off his source of income . CNN 's Rima Makatabi , Ben Wedeman and Mary Rogers in Tunis , Caroline Faraj in Dubai , Niki Cook in Paris , Amir Ahmed and Bobby Afshar in Atlanta and Journalist Ian Lee in Cairo contributed to this report .
NEW : Jeddah calls Ben Ali return `` impossible '' NEW : Army appears to be wielding the most power . Military manning checkpoints in the streets of the Tunisian capital . Ben Ali 's welcomed in Ghannouchi by the king of Ghannouchi .