Tunisians Free Vote

Veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi won Tunisia's first free Presidential election, beating rival and incumbent Moncef Marzouki with 55.68 per cent of the vote against 44.32 per cent, official results showed today.

Tunisians turned out in force for their country's first truly free elections on Sunday, voting that is expected to favor a long-banned Islamist party and seen as a bellwether for pro-democracy movements across the Arab world.

Tunisians began voting at dawn on Sunday in their first truly free elections, the culmination of a popular uprising that ended decades of authoritarian rule and set off similar rebellions across the Middle East.

Veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi won Tunisia's first free Presidential election, beating rival and incumbent Moncef Marzouki with 55.68 per cent of the vote against 44.32 per cent, official results showed today.

Tunisians turned out in force for their country's first truly free elections on Sunday, voting that is expected to favor a long-banned Islamist party and seen as a bellwether for pro-democracy movements across the Arab world.

Tunisians began voting at dawn on Sunday in their first truly free elections, the culmination of a popular uprising that ended decades of authoritarian rule and set off similar rebellions across the Middle East.