Tunisia has formed a national unity¹ government, the country's prime minister has announced, days after a popular revolt ousted² the president.

一场突尼斯民变将其总统驱逐出境，几天之后，总理宣布建立一个国家联合政府。

The prime minister, foreign, interior and defence ministers are to retain their jobs, with several opposition³ figures joining the government.

PM Mohammed Ghannouchi pledged to allow greater political and media freedoms.

Later the government said 78 people had been killed in recent violence, the highest official figure so far.

Dozens of people were known to have died, but the government had previously⁴ announced lower figures than those alleged⁵ by human rights organisations.

Unveiling the new government, Mr Ghannouchi said all political parties would now be allowed to operate in Tunisia.

Political prisoners would be freed and the media would be permitted "total freedom", he added.

"We have decided⁶ to free all the people imprisoned⁷ for their ideas, their beliefs or for having expressed dissenting⁸ opinions（反对意见） ," the AFP news agency reported him as saying.

The announcement of the new government included a pledge to abolish Tunisia's information ministry⁹ and to create a state where the media had "total freedom".

Separately, a French photographer was confirmed dead on Monday from injuries sustained when he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister（筒，小罐） .

Lucas Dolega, 32, worked for the EPA press agency. In a statement, France's foreign ministry said he was the victim of a "deliberate homicide".

'Calm and peace'

Unveiling his new administration, Mohammed Ghannouchi named three prominent opposition figures to key posts in the government.

Ahmed Ibrahim, leader of the opposition Ettajdid party, becomes minister of higher education, while Mustafa Ben Jaafar, of the Union of Freedom and Labour, is to serve as health minister.

Najib Chebbie, founder¹⁰ of the Progressive Democratic Party, was named as Tunisia's new development minister.

One other appointment remained unconfirmed: prominent blogger Slim Amamou, briefly¹¹ arrested during the protests, tweeted that he had been appointed to a job in the ministry for youth and sport.

Unveiling the new government at a news conference, Mr Ghannouchi said he aimed to move on from the previous autocratic（专制的，独裁的） regime.

"We are committed to intensifying¹² our efforts to re-establish calm and peace in the hearts of all Tunisians. Our priority is security, as well as political and economic reform," he said.

The announcement came amid growing pressure from demonstrators for Tunisia to make a clean break with the policies of the former president, who was in office for 23 years.

Correspondents say there is some uncertainty¹³ over whether the inclusion of several veteran ministers in senior positions will be acceptable to those protesting on the streets.

One opposition figure, Ahmed Bouazzi, of the Progressive Democratic Party, said he believed the demonstrations¹⁴ would now be put on hold.

"It's not realistic to dissolve the ruling party," he told the BBC, citing the example of the chaos¹⁵ that engulfed¹⁶ Iraq after Saddam Hussein's ruling Baath party was dissolved in 2003.

"We can go forward with this government, and can even go again into the streets if it is not working."

But others were less convinced by the presence of several veterans of Mr Ben Ali's government in the new administration.

"It's as if Ben Ali's system is still there," Mohamed Mishgri told Reuters news agency.

"It's for that reason that the demonstrations are continuing in Tunis. We want a new state with new people."