Tunisia's outgoing prime minister backs broad coalition government to implement reforms

Tunisia's outgoing prime minister says the country needs a broad coalition government in order to continue with the necessary economic reforms.

Mehdi Jomaa said Friday in Dakar that his interim technocrat cabinet has started the reform process but that the next government must have broad support to implement further changes.

The liberal Nida Tunis party won the most seats, nearly 40 percent, in October's parliamentary election. The Islamist Ennahda Party was a close second with just over 30 percent of the seats.

Nida Tunis officials have strongly hinted that they would exclude the Islamists from any future government.

Jomaa said to "pass reforms, you need a large consensus." Tunisia's economy has suffered since the 2011 revolution and there is high unemployment.