Tunisians voted yesterday in parliamentary elections that bring full democracy finally within their reach, four years after their revolution cast out autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
The moderate Islamist party Ennahda and rival secular alliance Nidaa Tounes are favoured to win most seats in Sunday’s vote, only the second free election in Tunisia since Ben Ali fled into exile in Saudi Arabia.
Tunisia has fared better than its neighbours who ousted their own long-ruling leaders during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, largely avoiding the polarisation between competing desires for Islamist and more secular rule.
Where the role of Islam in politics dominated the first election in 2011, now jobs, economic opportunities and Tunisia’s low-intensity conflict with Islamist militants are the main concerns of a country heavily reliant on foreign tourism.
After overcoming a political crisis that threatened to scuttle its fledgling democracy, Tunisia approved a new constitution at the start of the year and won praise as a model for a region struggling with chaos and violence.
The large number of parties taking part in Sunday’s election, from conservative Islamist Salafist movements to Socialists, means a coalition government is the probable outcome. The 217-member assembly will choose a new prime minister.
“I always felt bad when I saw other countries freely voting and we couldn’t. Now we have the chance and the freedom to do so and I hope we get complete democracy and liberty,” said Wahid Zamely, 57, first in line to vote in the well-off Soukra neighbourhood in the capital Tunis.
Early turnout at six polling stations around Tunis looked constant and orderly, with only a few complaints from voters who had registered but found their names were not listed. Out of more than 12,000 voting centres nationwide only five remained closed yesterday for security reasons in Kasserine.
