Tunisia Gets Ready To Go To The Polls

The countdown to Tunisia's first democratic legislative elections since its independence from France in 1956 has already begun.



More than 5 million Tunisians get ready to go to polling stations across their country on Sunday to select 217 members in a seminal event that is expected to lay the cornerstone for the first democratically-elected parliament in the history of this country.



Around 80 political parties will participate in the elections, out of a total of 190 parties in Tunisia. Party candidates are distributed to 1,327 lists. These candidates will run to grab 217 seats distributed to 33 constituencies, including six constituencies outside Tunisia.



Tunisia's 5 million voters are expected to cast ballots in around 4,864 polling centers across their country, including 330 polling centers outside Tunisia. More than 13,000 candidates will be racing against each other to grab the 217 seats. The elections would be held according to the proportional representation system.



There will be heated competition in the elections among Tunisia's political parties, but some people expect this competition to be limited to Ennahda Movement and Tunisia's Call.



Only four political parties managed to have lists in the 27 constituencies inside Tunisia, namely Ennahda Movement, the Congress for the Republic, the Free Patriotic Union and Tunisia's Call.



The government has allocated $22.2 million for the elections and plans to deploy 80,000 police and army personnel to guard the electoral process across the country, according to semi-official figures.



Around 17,338 election observers, meanwhile, are expected to monitor the vote. These observers include 559 foreigners, according to Tunisia's election body.



Tunisians living outside the country have already started voting since Thursday. The Independent High Authority for Elections said on Saturday that 10,985 Tunisians had already cast ballots in northern France, 10,242 cast ballots in southern France, 3,805 in the U.S. and Europe and 6,651 in other countries.



By Laila al-Thabti



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Tunis