Moderate Islamist party claims election win in Tunisia

[The Minx]

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Tunisia's moderate Islamist party, Ennahda, is claiming victory in the country's first democratic 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."

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.

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.

Not the result I would have hoped for, but the people of Tunisia have democracy, and part of that is respecting the popular will. Also, part of that is people taking responsibility for where they take their country. I hope that these guys are in fact moderate enough to move the country forward.

[Charon]

You know what? I'll take it. It's one of the better options we could have hoped for and it's the start of what might hopefully one day lead to a mostly secular state. Still, they don't look to be winning a majority. So hopefully some of the secular parties can get together to at least temper things as well.

Baby steps people. Baby steps.

[frigidmagi]

Let me point out that the United States itself was quite conservative in it's early periods. As long as they remain a democracy, there are routes for liberalization and my belief is generally speaking that a democracy will sooner or later slide into a liberal state. For example for all the vaunted rightward slide of the United States, the role of women in the public sphere has been expanded mightly, and the rights of minorities are on the upswing not the down swing. Even things like porn are now entrenched and the no fault divorce law is unlikely to be changed.

We should ensure that people arguing for a secular state in these new democracies are not threatened or oppressed (and we can do this without military actions, relax) and as long as they are allowed to make their case openly and publicly, their chances of gradually winning are good.

To sum up, having Islamic Parties win elections in new democracies of Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and others is an acceptable cost, as long as elections continue and the rights of their opponents are protected.