with the return to Tunis of Moncef Marzouki – a rights activist and founder of the Congress for the Republic – events over the next few days and weeks may get more complicated.

Also, the imminent return from London of the Islamist leader of the al-Nahda Party, Rachid Ghannouchi (no relation to the PM), can be expected to further stir the boiling crucible of Tunisian politics.

The other prominent player and human rights activist left out of the interim government is Hamma Hammami, leader of the Tunisian Workers‘ Communist Party.

Should these opposition figures put forward joint demands..it has the potential to re-ignite the popular uprising.