Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali said on Monday that Tunisia's main political parties had failed to form a cabinet of technocrats after the country was thrown into turmoil by the assassination of an opposition politician.

"The initiative of a cabinet of technocrats did not receive full political consensus and failed...but work is continuing with all parties in order to form a government which has the agreement of most of the political parties," Jebali told a news conference.

(Reporting By Tarek Amara; Editing by Michael Roddy)