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Tunisia's moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, is claiming victory in the country's first democratic elections.
 |
| Moderate Islamists say they are winning Tunisia's elections |
Official
results are expected on Tuesday, but provisional results suggest that Ennahda
will win most votes while falling short of a majority.
Its main
rival, the secular centre-left PDP party, has admitted defeat.
International
observers praised the conduct of Sunday's election as free and fair.
Former
President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown nine months ago after mass
demonstrations - he had been in power for 23 years.
However,
unlike its eastern neighbour Libya, Tunisia's transition from authoritarian
rule has been largely peaceful.
'Greatest
share'
Ennahda's
leaders have pledged to create a multi-party, secular democracy, and not an
Islamist state.
A
spokeswoman for the party, Yusra Ghannouchi, said: "Tunisians have voted
in fact for those parties that have been consistently part of the struggle for
democracy and opposed to Ben Ali's dictatorship.
"At
the forefront of those parties is Ennahda party, and we believe that, as
expected, it has achieved the greatest share of the vote."
 |
| The official result is due to be announced on Tuesday. |
Tunisians
are electing a 217-seat assembly that will draft a constitution and appoint an
interim president, who will choose the new government.
Electoral
commission secretary-general Boubaker Bethabet said more than 90% of the 4.1
million registered citizens had voted.
No turnout
figures were available for another 3.1 million unregistered people who also had
the right to vote.
More than
100 parties had registered to participate in the elections, along with a number
of independent candidates.
Hundreds of
foreign election observers and thousands of local ones monitored the poll and
will be watching the vote counting.
The US and
EU have praised Tunisia on the peaceful election process, with President Barack
Obama saying the vote was "an important step forward".
Former
President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was overthrown nine months ago after mass
demonstrations - he had been in power for 23 years until he fled to Saudi
Arabia on 14 January.
 |
| This is the first free election in Tunisia's history |
Many voters
emerged from polling stations holding up blue-stained index fingers - proud to
show they had cast their ballots.
The mother
of Mohamed Bouazizi, the young man whose self-immolation last December
triggered the Tunisian revolt, told the Reuters news agency the election was a
victory for dignity and freedom.
"Now I
am happy that my son's death has given the chance to get beyond fear and
injustice," Manoubia Bouazizi said. "I'm an optimist, I wish
success for my country."
Campaigning
in Tunisia was marked by concerns over splits between Islamists and
secularists, party funding and voter apathy.
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"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)
“ … There’s
much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East,
we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the
Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this
world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they
will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t
have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what
doesn’t belong to them....
... What
Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding
paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will
begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find
it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military
Energies are the core of all your problems...."
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