Tunisians vote in first parliamentary elections under new Constitution

27 October 2014
PM Mehdi Jomaa. Photograph: Ilyes Gaidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
Tunisian prime minister Mehdi Jomaa casts his vote in the country's parliamentary election. Photograph: Ilyes Gaidi/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
<p>Tunisians voted on Sunday in the first parliamentary elections under a new constitution enacted after the uprising almost four years ago that forced out the country’s authoritarian ruler&nbsp;Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali.</p><p>Up to 80,000 troops and police were deployed to avert extremist attacks, and turnout was estimated to be about 51% an hour before the polls closed. More than 100 political parties were competing for seats in the legislative assembly.</p><p>The prime minister,&nbsp;Mehdi Jomaa, hailed the vote as “historic”. “The spotlight is on us and the success of this is a guarantee for the future … a glimmer of hope for this region’s young people,” he told local radio as he voted.</p>
Read the full article here: The Guardian

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