Tunisia holds first free elections without incident

[News_Editor]

Tunisia holds first free elections without incident

2011-10-24 23:43:09 GMT+7 (ICT)

TUNIS, TUNISIA (BNO NEWS) -- Tunisian electoral officials on Monday said the turnout in the country's first free elections exceeded 80 percent in some constituencies while local media began to report on some of the preliminary results.

Independent Higher Authority for Elections (IHAE) chairman Kamel Jendoubi underlined that the turnout represents the people's recovered trust in the polls, adding that youth had a strong participation in the voting, the state-run Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP) news agency reported.

Although no major incidents were reported during the polling, chief candidates and observers said several infringement cases occurred at different polling stations across the country as political campaigning continued outside polls in last-minute efforts to influence voters.

The Independent Regional Authority for Elections (IRAE) confirmed that it had received a number of complaints from voters and said it had launched an investigation to review them. In total, over 7,000 polling stations were set up in Tunisia and 432 abroad.

Polling stations closed on Sunday without incident, marking Tunisia's first free election since the country's independence in 1956. The elections were held to determine the Constituent Assembly's 217 members, which will firstly appoint a new government. Official results are scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

However, local media have begun reporting unofficial results based on leaks and sources at political parties. The results showed that the center-right and moderately Islamist Nahda party has won some 40 percent, although it seems no party will obtain more than 50 percent of the votes, likely resulting in a coalition government.

Leaked results have also shown that the centrist Congress for the Republic party has surprisingly received a large number of votes and could be vital in the formation of a coalition government. Other important parties include the Progressive Democratic Party, Ettakatol, the Democratic Modernist Pole and the al-Watan Party.

In some polling stations abroad the turnout reached 100 percent for those who had previously registered to participate, and in Dubai more people voted than previously registered. In Germany the number of voters stood at 13,889 while the total number of voters in Arab countries stood at 15,288.

U.S. President Barack Obama congratulated the millions of voters who participated in Sunday's elections and the revolution earlier this year, which he said "changed the course of history and began the Arab Spring."

"Just as so many Tunisian citizens protested peacefully in streets and squares to claim their rights, [on Sunday] they stood in lines and cast their votes to determine their own future," Obama said. "Now, Tunisia begins the hard work of forming an interim government, drafting a new Constitution, and charting a democratic course that meets the aspirations of all Tunisians." 

Obama also reaffirmed the commitment of his government to the Tunisian people "as they move toward a democratic future that offers dignity, justice, freedom of expression, and greater economic opportunity for all."

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Tunisia showed "once again that it is leading the way towards greater democracy in the Middle East and North Africa."

"For the first time today, Tunisians are able to express their views at the polling booth in what I hope will be free and fair elections," Cameron said, describing the polling as a "remarkable achievement" that reflects how far the Tunisian people have come since January's revolution. "Their determination and courage inspired real change across the Middle East and North Africa."

As the first country in the region to put democracy to the test at the polling booth, Cameron stressed that Tunisia is once again "leading the way."

European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton also praised Sunday's historic elections for the Constituent Assembly. "The Tunisian revolution paved the way to the 'Arab spring' nine months ago," she said, adding that the EU Election Observation Mission would make its assessment soon. "I want to congratulate and pay tribute to the Tunisian people and their peaceful struggle for their rights and democratic aspirations."

The EU had previously announced that 130 observers would assess pre-election preparations, campaigning, voting, counting and tabulation processes, as well as the post-election period. The first experts arrived in the country on September 8 and they were gradually joined by 120 other observers. A delegation of 15 Members of the European Parliament reinforced the mission for the election period.

The elections are considered as the point of transition for Tunisia following the Tunisian Revolution which ousted former President Ben Ali after weeks of violent protests nationwide. The United Nations estimated that approximately 219 people were killed during the Tunisian mass unrest which began in mid-December. Most of them died after security forces were ordered to fire at them.

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