Anti-government protesters rally for the dissolution of the Islamist-led government in Sfax, 170 miles (270 km) southeast of Tunis September 26, 2013. Thousands protested in cities across Tunisia on Thursday to call on the ruling Islamist Ennahda party to step down immediately to make way for new elections to end a stalemate with its secular opponents. REUTERS/Anis Mili (TUNISIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS)

Disillusioned: Protesters rally for the dissolution of the Islamist-led government of Tunisia. Photo: Reuters

The governing Islamist party, Ennahda, thrust into power by the Arab Spring, has agreed to step down and hand over power to an independent caretaker government, yielding to a hard-bargaining opposition that had accused it of being soft on extremists.

The deal is part of negotiations to restart Tunisia's democratic transition after secular opposition groups, angered by the assassinations of two of their politicians, stalled work on a new constitution and an election law this northern summer.

For months, the opposition had accused the government of refusing to crack down on violent Islamic extremists. Last month, the government declared Ansar al-Shariah, the country's largest radical Islamist movement, a terrorist organisation, and said it was behind the two assassinations. But that did not placate the opposition, which has demanded in numerous walkouts, sit-ins and evening rallies that the government resign, including one demonstration on September 7 that brought out tens of thousands to the capital, Tunis.

Ennahda officials have repeatedly made statements in recent weeks signalling the party's readiness to resign as a way to break the political impasse. But the opposition had pressed for more concrete action.

''The political polarisation is deep and sometimes there is a lack of confidence,'' Rafik Abdessalam, a former foreign minister for Ennahda, said in an interview on Thursday, ''and that is why we need to sit at the table and have a clear road map and talk.''

Ennahda decided to step down despite resistance from some of its members, saying Tunisia's transition to democracy, which began after the president was toppled nearly two years ago, can succeed only with full political consensus.

Party members have criticised their leaders as having given away too much, Mr Abdessalam said last week. ''It is being described as the party of concessions,'' he said. ''We are not ashamed of these concessions because they are needed by Tunisia and to secure our democratic experience so that Tunisia can reach a safe shore.''

The two sides will enter discussions this week mediated by the Tunisian General Labour Union, the nation's largest. Its deputy secretary-general, Bouali Mbarki, announced Ennahda's acceptance of the plan on Saturday.

The union has scheduled three weeks for talks on a new government. During that time, the National Constituent Assembly, the body in charge of writing Tunisia's new constitution, is expected to ratify it and confirm appointments to the election commission, resuming work after a two-month hiatus. The government will then hand over power to a caretaker government that will lead Tunisia through elections in the northern spring.

The assembly, where Ennahda holds the largest bloc of seats, will remain in place to serve as a check on the new government.

New York Times