(Image source: Wikimedia Commons ) BY STEVEN SPARKMAN ANCHOR ELIZABETH HAGEDORN Tunisia’s prime minister Hamadi Jebali announced he was stepping down Tuesday in a move meant to jumpstart dialogue in the politically deadlocked country. Protests and violence have spread throughout the country this month, sparked by the assassination of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid. Members of the secular party blame the prime minister’s Islamist party for the killing. ( Video via Al Jazeera ) In an attempt to calm the country’s political situation, Jebali announced his plan to form a new government made up of apolitical technocrats -- specialists with no party affiliation. His own party rejected the idea, but Jebali continued to push for it, saying he would step down if the idea failed. Monday, he admitted defeat, making Tuesday’s resignation somewhat expected. ( Video via Tunisia TV 1 ) Jebali said he hoped the move would restore confidence in the country’s political leaders. The Guardian reminds us that Tunisians have yet to pass a new constitution since overthrowing President Ben Ali two years ago in the beginning of the Arab Spring. “The political manoeuvring has exasperated voters and it remains to be seen whether Jebali's resignation will now kickstart political talks, or whether he could even stage a return.” The country which started the Arab Spring also happens to be among the most secular of Arab states. But with the ruling party’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the opposition claiming the political system is rigged, Al Jazeera points out a Tunisian success story is still not assured. “Two years into a revolution that toppled a dictator and inspired the pro-democracy movement in the Arab world, the country is blighted by instability and uncertainty.” There is one possible solution to the impasse: many analysts think the moderate Jebali drew such a hard line over his technocrat government that he had no choice but to step down. But the Wall Street Journal sees a way back. “[M]any Tunisian political leaders believe the broadly popular Mr. Jebali is likely to return as prime minister at the helm of a new more inclusive government. Such a deal would allow the party to show it stood firm against Mr. Jebali's calls for a technocrat government but avoid being accused of forcing the popular leader out of office.” Jebali has been pushing for a new round of elections to help give the government legitimacy, which he says should take place by this fall.