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Tunisia's prime minister has promised to leave politics after elections being planned in the wake of President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali's fall last week.

In a TV interview, long-serving PM Mohamed Ghannouchi said he would quit "in the shortest possible timeframe".

His transition government has promised to hold polls within six months, but it has so far not set a date.

Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia on 14 January. Protesters say all figures linked to his regime should quit.

Mr Ghannouchi was a key ally of the ousted president, and has been struggling to restore calm under the new national unity government.

In his TV interview late on Friday, he said he would retire from public life after the elections, and promised that all "anti-democratic laws" would be repealed by the transition cabinet.