Mwanafunzi aliyemaliza chuo kikuu amfanya Rais wa Tunisia kuachia madaraka baada ya kuzuiwa na polisi kuuza mboga za majani bila kibali kutokana na kukosa ajira. Ni mwanafunzi mwenye shahada ya uzamili.
Tunisia's President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has stepped down after 23 years in power, amid widespread protests on the streets of the capital Tunis.
In a televised address, Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi said he would be taking over from the president.
A state of emergency was declared earlier, as weeks of protests over economic issues snowballed into rallies against Mr Ben Ali's rule.
Unconfirmed reports say Mr Ben Ali and his family have left Tunisia.
The reports suggest that the deposed president is looking for a place of asylum, with French media saying that French President Nicolas Sarkozy has turned down a request for his plane to land in France.
Earlier, police fired tear gas as thousands of protesters gathered outside the interior ministry.
Doctors say 13 people were killed in overnight clashes in Tunis, and there are unconfirmed reports that five people have been killed in protests on Friday outside the capital.
Troops have surrounded the country's main international airport, Tunis Carthage, and the country's air space has been closed.
A state of emergency decree bans gatherings of more than three people and imposes a night-time curfew. Security forces have been authorised to open fire on people not obeying their orders.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he stood side-by-side with the citizens of Tunisia, his country's former protectorate.
"Only dialogue can bring a democratic and lasting solution to the current crisis," said Mr Sarkozy in a statement.
The US, a staunch ally of Tunisia, said all people "had the right to choose their own leaders".
Mr Ghannouchi, 69, a former finance minister who has been prime minister since 1999, will serve as interim president.
In an address on state television, he promised to "respect the law and to carry out the political, economic and social reforms that have been announced".
Witnesses described how soldiers had begun taking down portraits of Mr Ben Ali - which had been a ubiquitous sign of his authoritarian rule on billboards and on the walls of public buildings around the country.
Stranded tourists
The BBC's Arab affairs analyst Magdi Abdelhadi says Mr Ben Ali's demise may rattle the entire post-colonial order in North Africa and the wider Arab world.
Earlier, Mr Ben Ali - who had said in a TV address on Thursday night that he would relinquish power in 2014 - said he was dismissing the government and dissolving parliament, and that new elections would be held within six months.
Human rights groups say dozens of people have died in recent weeks as unrest has swept the country and security forces have cracked down on the protests.
The protests started after an unemployed graduate set himself on fire when police tried to prevent him from selling vegetables without a permit. He died a few weeks later.
UK travel agents have scrambled to pull hundreds of tourists out of the country, and companies including Thomson First Choice and Thomas Cook have cancelled flights scheduled to leave for Monastir on Sunday.
The UK, the US and France are among the countries advising against non-essential travel to Tunisia.
"The situation is unpredictable and there is the potential for violence to flare up, raising the risk of getting caught up in demonstrations," the UK Foreign Office said in its latest travel advisory.
In a speech on Thursday night, Mr Ben Ali, who had governed Tunisia since 1987, announced he would stand down in 2014.
He said there was "no presidency for life" in Tunisia. But he said he did not intend to amend the constitution to remove the upper age limit for presidential candidates, which would have allowed him to stand for a further term in 2014.
The former president, who earlier this week had blamed the unrest on "terrorists", also said he felt "massive regret" over the deaths of civilians in the protests.
Mr Ben Ali, 74, was only Tunisia's second president since independence from France in 1956. He was last re-elected in 2009 with 89.62% of the vote.
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