Tens of thousands of Tunisians came out in a show of force for the country's Islamist-led government on Saturday, in one of the largest demonstrations since the 2011 revolution.
Supporters of the ruling Ennahda party crowded into Kasbah Square next to the prime minister's office in the capital, Tunis. Ennahda officials said more than 150,000 attended. Fireworks flashed overhead and red Tunisian flags fluttered over a sea of demonstrators.
"No to coups, yes to elections," the crowd shouted, in a reference to the army-backed ouster of Egypt's elected Islamist president last month.
The secular opposition is stepping up efforts to oust the transition government in the North African country. At the same time, security forces are struggling to fight off a spike in attacks by radical Islamist militants, whom the moderate Islamist Ennahda has condemned as terrorists.
The country, once considered a model among fledgling "Arab Spring" democracies, is facing its worst crisis since Tunisians toppled autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and set off a wave of uprisings across the region.
The opposition, angered by the assassination of two of its figures and emboldened by the backlash against deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, has been protesting daily.
Across the capital, around 10,000 opposition protesters rallied against the government. They vowed a mass march on Sunday and an even bigger rally on Wednesday to mark the death of politician ChokriBelaid, who was gunned down six months ago.
Counter-revolution will not succeed
Ennahda party chiefRachidGhannouchi joined the throngs of demonstrators at the pro-government rally and gave a defiant speech to wild cheers from the crowd.
"Tunisia is a candle whose revolution lit up the world but now they (the opposition) want to put it out by trying to set off a coup,"Ghannouchi said.
"The counter-revolution will not succeed."
Kasbah Square was the site of major rallies in the days after Ben Ali was toppled in which demonstrators demanded a transitional Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution.
That assembly - which the opposition is demanding be dissolved - is eight months late delivering the draft but says it is only weeks away from finishing the job.
Earlier on Saturday, Prime Minister Ali Larayedh appealed to demonstrators on both sides for calm.
Tunisian forces launched air and artillery strikes on Friday to try to rout militants who killed eight soldiers this week in one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in decades.
The Interior Ministry said on Saturday that security forces foiled a plot a day earlier to assassinate a prominent politician in the coastal town of Sousse, a week after assailants killed leftist politician Mohamed Brahmi in Tunis.
The ministry said two "dangerous terrorists" were arrested for suspected involvement in the attempt. A third was still on the run after trading machine-gun fire with security forces
