Tunisian protesters set ablaze ruling party's office

On Wednesday, several hundred protesters torched the headquarters of Tunisia’s ruling party in the mining region of Gafsa, after trying to break into the regional governor's office, AFP reported. 

Police managed to chase the intruders away, but not before they seized files and furniture from the office and burned them on the road. 

The incident followed a general strike in Qafsa, as in the other regions of Gabes and Siliana. 

The strike was called in protest against poverty and lack of development. 

On November 15, protesters gathered in the capital city of Tunis to call for the resignation of the ruling Ennahda party. 

After months of political crisis, the ruling party and the opposition opened talks on October 25 to form a caretaker government comprised of independents that run the country until the next elections. 

Tunisia has been experiencing tension since the 2011 uprising that toppled former dictator, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. 

The situation worsened after militants killed key opposition figure, Mohamed Brahmi, a member of the opposition Popular Front, in July following the assassination of secular opposition leader, Chokri Belaid, in February. 

Poor economic conditions have been also fueling the unrest in Tunisia, where inflation is running at around six percent and the budget deficit stands at around 7.4 percent of gross domestic product.