New Tunisian government won a confidence vote on Wednesday at the assembly.

New Tunisian government won a confidence vote on Wednesday at the assembly.

Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has said the government, which was backed by 139 of the National Constituent Assembly's 217 members, would serve only until an election later in the year.

The new government, led by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party along with two junior secular coalition partners, resembles its predecessor, although in a concession to its critics Ennahda has ceded control of some key ministries to independents.

The assembly will vote later today or Thursday on a new timetable for the constitution and elections.

Those polls would end a transitional period in which Tunisia has had four interim governments since strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown in a popular uprising two years ago.

Tunisia, economically struggling and deeply polarized between Islamists and their opponents, is in the throes of a political transition that began with the overthrow of  Ben Ali.

The confidence vote was overshadowed by the death of a young street vendor who set himself on fire in apparent desperation over his failure to find permanent employment.

Larayedh, who pledged to reduce violence and revive the economy, expressed his sadness over the death. "I hope we all understood his message," he said.