TUNIS (Reuters) – Tunisia will hold an election on July 24 to choose a constituent assembly that will rewrite the constitution and chart the country's transition after the ousting of its veteran leader, the interim president said.

In a televised speech late on Thursday, interim president Fouad Mebazza -- who has been in charge since Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled on January 14 -- said he and a caretaker government would stay in power until the election was held.
“We are proclaiming today that we are entering a new era ... and a new political system which definitively breaks with the ousted regime,” Mebazza said.
A source close to the president's office told Reuters that, once elected, the constituent council could either appoint a new government or ask the caretaker executive to carry on until presidential and parliamentary elections were held.
Hundreds of people greeted the president's announcement by celebrating in the Kasbah area in Tunis, waving flags and flicking “V-for-victory” signs.
“It's a step toward democracy, direct democracy by the people,” Ali Larayedh, a member of the moderate Islamist Ennahda party that was banned for two decades under Ben Ali, told Reuters.
“I think this will allow political forces of all colors to be present in the political arena,” he said.
Tunisia has struggled to restore stability since mass protests ousted Ben Ali after 23 years in power.
Fragile transition
Interim authorities initially promised to hold a presidential election by mid-July but persistent street unrest and a wave of resignations from the caretaker government threatened to derail the fragile transition.
Security forces killed five people during big demonstrations at the weekend and six members of the interim government have stepped down since Sunday, bowing to protesters frustrated at the slow pace of change since Ben Ali's departure.
Fears of a power vacuum were compounded by a provision in the current constitution that limits the mandate of a caretaker president to 60 days in office.
But Mebazza said in his speech that constitution “no longer reflects the aspirations of the people after the revolution,” adding he would remain in office until the July 24 vote.
Analysts said the president's statement laid out a road map for the transition and might relieve some pressure on the interim government.
“I think it's an important step toward reconciliation,” said Slaheddin Jourchi, a political analyst in Tunis. “At least now the interim government has a clearer agenda, an expiry date on its mandate,” he said.
Changing the constitution is regarded as a vital step toward creating a proper multi-party system and paving the way for democratic elections.
That may take some time -- Jourchi estimated it could be up to two years before a presidential election is called.
Also it was not immediately clear what would happen to parliament, where Ben Ali's old guard still holds sway.
The Tunisian revolution has provided the inspiration for uprisings in other parts of the Arab world.
But persistent outbreaks of violence in North Africa's most developed state have added to the uncertainty of the post-Ben Ali era, leading some commentators to predict the military may step in to take over the transition.