Tunisia's prime minister resigns

Tunisian Prime Minister Elyes Fakhfakh has resigned from his post, the government confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

The move came after a political row with the Islamist-inspired Ennahda Party deepened and as momentum grew in parliament to oust the prime minister over alleged conflicts of interest.

In a statement, Fakhfakh's office said he handed in his resignation "to avoid conflicts between institutions in the country" and to "open a new path for him to get out of this crisis."

Tunisian President Kais Saied must now choose a new candidate for prime minister who will be in charge of forming a new government.

Political divisions in parliament mean the task won't be an easy one — and a failure to form a government could lead to an early election.

The collapse of Fakhfakh's government comes less than five months after it was formed, and follows months of strained relations with Ennahdha, the largest party in parliament.

The last parliamentary election in October led to a divided parliament where no party garnered more than a quarter of the seats, which complicated efforts to form a stable government.

Fakhfakh, a former finance minister and the leader of a small social democratic party, is also under investigation over shares he owns in private companies that have been given public contracts in recent months. The 47-year-old denies any wrongdoing.

Dhaka/Mukul