Tunisia's newly-appointed Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said he "doesn't know" when the new government will be formed amid the absence of political agreement between the political parties over the key ministries, Al-Hurra TV website reported on Thursday.

Larayedh pointed out that that appointed premier represents the only source of credible information in the country as Ettakatol, the coalition partner of the ruling Islamist Ennahda party, revealed that negotiations over government formation had reached its "final round."

These statements came in light of opposition figure Chokri Belaid's murder, which sparked deadly street protests and strikes and exposed the widening fissures between the ruling Islamists and liberals, plunging Tunisia into its worst political crisis since the 2011 revolution against Ben Ali's regime.

The crisis prompted Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali to resign.

Ennahda agreed to give up key ministries [interior, justice, defence and foreign portfolios] to independents, a key concession that could speed up the formation of a new government and end the political crisis that followed the assassination of Belaid.

Ennahda's approval came in response to a demand by almost all of the opposition and the opposition and the government's two secular, centre-left partners, Ettakatol and the Congress for the Republic of President Moncef Marzouki.

The opposition is also calling for an independent head to the Ministry of Religious Affairs to succeed Nour El-Deen El-Khadami, a member of Ennahda.

Tunisia's ruling party has tapped Larayedh, ex-interior minister, as the new premier to replace Jebali. Larayedh was imprisoned and tortured under the regime of Ben Ali. A moderate member of Ennahda, he is seen as a man of dialogue.

Ennahda, which was already leading a coalition, has promised to build as broadly based a government as possible.

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