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Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- Tunisian officials scrambled to form new leadership Sunday as military tanks patrolled the streets days after enraged protesters ousted the nation's authoritarian leader.
Prime Minister Mohamed Ghannouchi was meeting with opposition leaders, who want a major role in the unity government, Mustapha Ben Jafar, top opposition official, told CNN.
A unity government may be announced Sunday or Monday, Jafar said, who added that the opposition does not want to be a cover-up for the ruling party, but is aiming for an active role in running Tunisia.
"The most important thing for me is to build during this period the basis for a democratic Tunis where all the citizens participate and where we can build a civic society -- this I what I spent 40 years of my life working for," Jafar said.
As officials met in the capital, Tunis, police arrested more people, including looters and some of the deposed president's relatives.
Imed Trabelsi, the nephew of the ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was detained along with 23 other relatives, state-run Tunis TV reported.
The head of Ben Ali's security was also arrested, according to Tunis TV.
Tunisians have been protesting for days over what they consider poor living conditions, high unemployment, government corruption and repression.
Citizens called for the ouster of Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia on Friday after ruling the country for 23 years.
The wave of rallies was stirred by the suicide of an unemployed college graduate, who torched himself last month after police confiscated his fruit cart, cutting off his source of income.
Tensions remained high Sunday as Tunisians armed with sticks and knives formed groups to guard their neighborhoods. They stopped suspicious cars near their homes, saying security forces did not have the manpower to guard the suburbs.
A French photojournalist was killed in Tunis Sunday morning, according to his uncle, who said Lucas Mebrouk Dolega "was dedicated to his career and he was always very brave."
"He was at the heart of major events happening around the world," Hamid Lhorri told CNN, though he did not elaborate on the circumstances surrounding his nephew's death.
Despite the instability, there was a glimmer of good news.
Tunisians experienced newfound freedoms online as the acting president, Fouad Mebazaa, took over Saturday. The former parliamentary speaker promised to restore stability and respect the constitution of the north African country, words echoed by the opposition's Jafar.
"We will be loyal to this noble people and youth that put fear aside and went down to the streets asking for reforms we have been asking the government for during the past 20 years since Ben Ali assumed power," Jafar said.
Filters on social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube, put in place under Ben Ali, were dropped.
Internet speed picked up considerably -- a development that followed the new government's vow to ease restrictions on freedoms.
Some top regional officials remained wary as protests swept over the nation, with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi saying he was "sad and hurt" by the developments. He blamed the unrest on criminal gangs.
"Sadly, Tunisia is headed to more chaos, and we do not know how it will end," he said. "I hope your sanity returns and your wounds heal, because you had a big loss that will never return."
Tunisian state TV reported that officials plan to hold presidential elections in 60 days.
The pro-Western nation supports U.S. policy in the Middle East and its efforts against terrorism. President Barack Obama has condemned the use of force on protesters and called for free and fair elections.
CNN's Ben Wedeman contributed to this report.
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