Clashes during a march against the persistent of members of the old regime An opposition party coordinator in Tunisia's southern town of Tataouine died on Thursday as his supporters clashed with those of the Islamist-led government, a Nedaa Tunis Party official (Call of Tunisia) said. The party official, Adel Achaouch told Arabstoday that Lotfi Naguedh died after being beaten up by pro-government demonstrators who attacked his office.
However, Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Tarrouche confirmed the violence but said Naguedh had died of "a heart attack."
Nedaa Tunis was founded in June by Beji Caid Essebsi, a senior official in the first years of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's rule, who served as interim premier in the aftermath of the veteran strongman's ouster last year.
The ruling coalition accuses him of regrouping former regime officials and seeking to undermine the government.
The League for the Protection of the Revolution, a grouping close to the ruling coalition led by the Islamist party, Ennahda had called the demonstration on Thursday that then marched on the headquarters of a local trade union which Naguedh headed.
Eye witnesses told Arabstoday that the demonstration degenerated into clashes in which stones were thrown by both sides.
"Police reinforcements were deployed and separated the two sides," the witnesses said.
Adel Achaouch insisted the violence came solely from the pro-government demonstrators, whom he called "Ennahda's militias".
He went on to condemn the "cowardly hand of treason and terrorism" behind Naguedh's death.
Last month, another party official, Lazhar Lakremi charged that a member of the government, whom he did not identify, for plotting to assassinate the party leader Essebsi.
The League for the Protection of the Revolution has hit back with fiery rhetoric of its own, promising in an October 13 statement to make the "enemies of the revolution and henchmen of the old regime regret that they did not take their own lives."
The bad blood between the two sides has impacted on efforts to thrash out a post-revolution constitution so that a new date can be set for fresh elections that had been due to take place this year.
Two parties in the governing coalition - Islamist Ennahda party of Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali and the center-left Congress for the Republic of President Moncef Marzouki - boycotted crisis talks on the new constitution on Tuesday to protest against the participation of Nedaa Tunis.