Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali has stepped down after 23 years in power as protests over economic issues snowballed into rallies against him. Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi has taken over as the Interim President. A state of emergency has been declared. Unconfirmed reports say Ben Ali and his family have left Tunisia and he is looking for asylum. Dozens of people have died in recent weeks as unrest swept the country and security forces cracked down on demonstrators over unemployment, rising food price and corruption.