Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has resigned after failing to form a new government in Tunisia.
Talks on the creation of a new government failed when his Ennahda party rejected his efforts to form a cabinet of technocrats.
Jebali's resignation was monitored live on television in Washington.
Tunisia plunged into political crisis after secular opposition politician Chokri Belaid was gunned down outside his home in Tunis earlier this month, touching off anti-government riots around the country.
Jebali proposed his technocrat government initiative to guide the country to new elections in the wake of public outrage over Belaid's murder and had threatened to quit if his plan was rejected.