The UGTT union federation mediating Tunisia's political crisis announced Tuesday that it would "suspend the national dialogue" on choosing a new prime minister after political leaders again failed to agree on a candidate.

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The UGTT union federation mediating Tunisia's political crisis announced Tuesday that it would "suspend the national dialogue" on choosing a new prime minister after political leaders again failed to agree on a candidate.

"We have decided to suspend the national dialogue until there are favourable grounds for talks to succeed," said UGTT leader Houcine Abassi late on Monday.

"We didn't reach a consensus on the person who will lead the government," he said. "We tried to resolve the differences but there was no consensus."

The political tensions that have plagued Tunisia since veteran strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was toppled in a 2011 Arab Spring uprising were heightened by the murders of opposition politician Chokri Belaid in February and MP Mohamed Brahmi in July.

The opposition has demanded the government's resignation and the formation of a cabinet of independents, accusing the current line-up of failing to rein in jihadists.

The government and the opposition agree that Islamist radicals, who were suppressed under Ben Ali but whose influence has grown since his ouster, are behind recent violence, including the killings of Belaid and Brahmi.

The government acknowledges that Tunisia's jihadists are linked to al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, but says it lacks the resources needed to combat them.

Talks failing

After months of stalling, Ennahda opened talks with the opposition and Prime Minister Ali Larayedh has said he will step down as long as the transition timetable agreed in early October is respected.

The ruling Islamists and the opposition opened talks October 25 on forming a government of independents, drafting a long-delayed constitution and preparing for elections.

A new premier was supposed to have been named on Saturday, a week after the talks began. A new deadline was set for Monday at noon, but that deadline also passed without agreement.

As the latest round of talks got under way, the moderate ruling Islamist Ennahda party and the opposition warned that a failure to reach a consensus would spell the demise of the so-called national dialogue launched last month.

The two frontrunners for premier are opposition-backed Mohamed Ennaceur, 79, and Ahmed Mestiri, 88, who is supported by Ennahda and its allies.

Both are well respected and served under the late Habib Bourguiba, who led the fight for Tunisia's independence and served as its first president for three decades from 1957.

The opposition says Mestiri is too old and would be a puppet in the hands of Ennahda, which in turn insists that he can strike a balance between the rival sides.

"We don't see any alternative to Ahmed Mestiri," Ennahda chief Rached Ghannouchi said after the failed talks.

The ruling coalition "made the dialogue fail", said Hamma Hammami, a representative of the opposition National Salvation Front coalition, adding: "They are looking for any means to stay in power."

On Sunday, the presidency ordered an eight-month extension of a state of emergency, which has been repeatedly renewed.

(FRANCE 24 with wires)

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