Secular party upbeat as Tunisia awaits ‘milestone’ election results

Tunisia’s main secular party was in a confident mood Monday with vote counting underway following a general election seen as critical for democracy in the cradle of the Arab Spring. U.S. President Barack Obama hailed the North African country’s first parliamentary election since its 2011 revolution as “an important milestone in Tunisia’s historic political transition”. Security forces were heavily deployed to avert extremist attacks on Sunday but polling day passed without major incident, as over 60 per cent of an electorate of five million people voted for a 217-seat parliament under a new constitution drafted in January. Election officials could give partial results on Monday, but it has until October 30 to announce the final outcome.

The spotlight is on us and the success of this [vote] is a guarantee for the future… a glimmer of hope for this region’s young people.

Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa

The election pitted Islamist party Ennahda against its main secular rival Nidaa Tounes, with an array of leftist and Islamist groups also taking part. Analysts predicted no single group would win the outright parliamentary majority needed to govern alone. Critics accuse Ennahda - Tunisia’s leading party - and its secular allies which have been running the country of failing to address people’s security needs and shoring up the economy. Ennahda has proposed the formation of a government of national unity and has not put forward a candidate for a November 23 presidential vote, keeping its options open over whom it will back.

Africa Tunisia