Tunisians in historic vote spurred by Arab Spring

TUNIS — Expressing a mixture of apprehension and hope for the future, Tunisians voted yesterday for their first five-year parliament since they overthrew their dictator in the 2011 revolution that kicked off the Arab Spring.

Tunisia is widely seen as the country that has the best chance for democracy in the Arab world, but the past three and a half years have been marked by political turmoil, terrorist attacks and a faltering economy which has brought disillusionment to many over the democratic process.

Many polling stations reported high turnouts and long lines early in the day. At least 50 percent of the 5.2 million registered voters turned out to vote two hours before polls had closed, the official election commission said.

"We are proud to vote. It's our duty as citizens and I am optimistic," said Zeinab Turabi, a lawyer in the affluent Tunis neighborhood of Soukra. "If you don't vote, you'll get Libya," she added, referring to the neighboring country which has been taken hostage by violent militias since the overthrow of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

In the United States, President Barack Obama called Tunisia's election an important milestone in the country's historic political transition.

"In casting their ballots today, Tunisians continued to inspire people across their region and around the world," Obama said in a statement.

Some Tunisians were less optimistic. Election observers said turnout in the slum of Douar Hicher, where residents frequently clash with police and the smell of open garbage piles and untreated sewage wafts along the unpaved streets near polling stations, was light and less than in 2011.

"It didn't get better after 2011 but we still voted in 2014 hoping that it will. But if it doesn't, then no one will vote again," said Ali Mbeet. He works in a pizza restaurant, and complained about the rising prices and lack of jobs.

Even in downtown Tunis, many young men slouching in cafes weren't sporting the telltale inky finger of a voter.

Tunisians have a bewildering array of candidates to choose from, but the Islamist Ennahda Party is expected to do well. The party did well immediately after the revolution, though many criticized the Islamists' turbulent two years in power and they later stepped aside in favor of a transition government ahead of elections.

Many are also expected to vote for the Nida Tunis (Tunisia's Call) party, which has been presenting itself as the only force strong enough to stand up to the Islamists.

"I am here to vote for democracy and for those who can confront Ennahda, for a modern Tunisia and to keep them from ruling alone," said Lahimer Salem, a businessman. "They (the Islamists) are part of the country, but they are not the only ones."

The party that gains the most seats in the 217-seat parliament has the right to form a government, which will most likely involve a coalition of several parties. Presidential elections are in November.

There were no reports of violence on yesterday, despite fears that terrorists might disrupt the elections. On Friday, police stormed a house in the Tunis suburb of Oued Ellil after a 24-hour standoff, killing five women and a man who they described as "terrorists." The government said more than 80,000 police and soldiers were mobilized to protect the elections.

"I thought people would be intimidated by Oued Ellil, but Tunisians are very determined and they don't let threats stop them," said 65-year-old Said Bessaoud Chihi, who wore a headscarf and said she was voting to make sure women kept their rights in the face of the Islamists.

In the Tunis neighborhood of Yasmina, like many lower income and rural areas, voters chose to separate themselves into male and female lines while waiting to vote, officials said.

Independent monitoring groups had reported a number of irregularities earlier in the day, citing cases of voting stations opening late because materials hadn't arrived. They said that in several places across the country, party activists encouraged people to vote for their party inside polling stations or paid for votes.

US ambassador Jacob Walles visited several polling stations in the morning. At one station a few people shouted slogans at him accusing the United States and Qatar of interfering in the country and telling him to leave.

The embassy confirmed a few people shouted "degage" (get out) but said it did not affect the ambassador's visit.

Official results are not expected until Wednesday.