Tunisians Vote in First Parliamentary Elections

Local Editor

Tunisians have been lining up to vote to choose a new parliament in the elections seen as a test of the country's transition to democracy on Sunday, after the ouster of former dictator Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

Tunisia has more than five million eligible voters, with some 13,000 candidates contending for seats in the 217-member National Assembly.

The polling stations opened at 7 a.m. [0600 GMT] on Sunday and are due to close at 6 p.m. [1700 GMT], while authorities have until Friday to announce the results.

The election comes as up to 80,000 troops and police have been deployed across the country to protect the voters, with Tunisia's Prime Minister Mehdi Jomaa warning of possible assaults aimed at disrupting the nation's first post-revolution parliamentary vote.

"We know that this will be a target [for militant groups] because it is unique in the region. It brings hope," Jomaa said during an inspection of security forces east of the capital, Tunis, on Saturday.

"They know that the success of [this election] is a threat to them, not only in Tunisia but throughout the region," he added.

Six suspected militants were killed on Friday when Tunisian police raided a house in the outskirts of the capital.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team