Beginning in December of last year, a series of ongoing protests in the streets of Tunisia escalated to the point where President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali - who had ruled the country for 23 years - at first declared he would not seek re-election, then fled the country on January 14th. An interim government was assembled, but protesters remain in the streets, demanding removal of all traces of Ben Ali's old RCD party. Protesters' frustrations with high unemployment, inflation and corruption drove them to the streets after a pivotal event, when a young Tunisian vendor named Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire after police confiscated his produce cart. Bouazizi died of his injuries days later. Collected here are images of the turmoil in Tunisia over the past couple of weeks. (40 photos total)
People demonstrate during a protest in central Tunis on January 17, 2011. After weeks of demonstrations, Tunisian protesters called for the abolition of ousted president Zine El
Abidine Ben Ali's ruling party on January 17 amid a chaotic power vacuum as politicians prepared a government of national unity. Hundreds of people rallied in Tunis and there were similar protests in Sidi Bouzid and Regueb in central Tunisia -- two towns at the heart of the movement that forced Ben Ali to resign and flee on Friday after 23 years in power. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)
Abidine Ben Ali's ruling party on January 17 amid a chaotic power vacuum as politicians prepared a government of national unity. Hundreds of people rallied in Tunis and there were similar protests in Sidi Bouzid and Regueb in central Tunisia -- two towns at the heart of the movement that forced Ben Ali to resign and flee on Friday after 23 years in power. (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)
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A handout picture released by the Tunisian Presidency shows Tunisian president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali (2nd from left) looking at Mohamed Al Bouazzizi (right), during his visit at the hospital in Ben Arous near Tunis on December 28, 2010. Mohamed Al Bouazzizi, a 26-year-old university graduate, who was forced to sell fruit and vegetables on the streets, doused himself in petrol and set himself alight on December 17, which left him in a serious condition with severe burns. Days of rioting in Tunisia by mostly jobless and frustrated young people protesting violently against the government has exposed the crippling unemployment problem in the north African country. (TUNISIA PRESIDENCY/AFP/Getty Images) 
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Smoke rises from fire left after clashes between security forces and demonstrators in Tunis on January 14, 2011 after Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's address to the nation. Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali had sacked the government and called early elections in six months, the prime minister announced as weeks of deadly unrest mounted with new clashes. (FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images) 
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Soldiers stand guard near a tank on a street of Tunis on January 16, 2011. Heavy gunfire was heard in the center of Tunisian capital on Sunday with security forces exchanging fire with people inside buildings, AFP journalists said. An army helicopter circled over Avenue Bourguiba near the interior ministry. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) 
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A cat crosses an empty street on January 16, 2011 in the center of Tunis. Dozens of people crowded on Sunday at the few stalls open at the main market in Tunis as soldiers patrolled the streets but spirits were high after the overthrow of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. "Our children will live in a free country," said Mouna Ouerghi, 29, a university lecturer who was queuing for bread. "The situation is getting better," she said. "A lot of shops are open today. We believe in our people." (MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images) 
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A demonstrator argues with a policeman during a protest in the center of Tunis on January 17, 2011. Hundreds of people rallied in central Tunis on Monday to demand the abolition of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ruling RDC party as police fired volleys of tear gas to break up the protest. "We don't want anyone from the old party in the new government. That includes the prime minister," one protester told AFP on condition of anonymity. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) 
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A man walks past closed tourist shops in Tunis' souk on January 16, 2011. Dozens of people crowded on Sunday at the few stalls open at the main market in Tunis as soldiers patrolled the streets but spirits were high after the overthrow of strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. (FETHI BELAID/AFP/Getty Images) 
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People shout as they demonstrate in the center of Tunis on January 17, 2011. Hundreds of people rallied in central Tunis on Monday to demand the abolition of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's ruling RDC party as police fired volleys of tear gas to break up the protest. (FRED DUFOUR/AFP/Getty Images) 
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