Tunisian rebel movement says it had collected 1.6 million signatures to sack the government

Tunisia’s Tamarod (Rebel) movement said Sunday that it had collected 1.6 million signatures demanding the dissolution of the country’s Constituent Assembly and resignation of the government.

The movement is similar with the Tamarod grassroots campaign in Egypt, which announced that it had collected more than 22 million signatures demanding Islamist president Mohamed Morsi to step down and hold early presidential elections.

The Tunisian movement’s organizers said their aim is to gather 2 million signatures to press the government to resign and to establish a new national union government.

Earlier, about 60 opposition representatives quit from the Constituent Assembly, forcing Speaker Mustapha Ben Jaafar to suspend the assembly’s work.

Tunisia’s recent political crisis was sparked by the assassination of Mohamed Brahmi, a prominent opposition figure on July 25. The country’s main labor union UGTT then called for massive strikes and protests to demand the government to resign.