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TUNIS. – Tunisia’s electoral commission on Monday declared veteran politician Beji Caid Essebsi as the winner of the country’s presidential election. The 88-year-old, from the Nidaa Tounes secular political party, garnered 55,68 percent of the votes to overcome incumbent Moncef Marzouki, who collected 44,32 percent of the ballots, in the Sunday run-off. The first round of the presidential vote on November 23 saw Essebsi in the lead with 39 percent of the vote, six points ahead of Marzouki.
Essebsi served as the prime minister of Tunisia from February 2011 to December that year under former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was toppled in a 2011 popular uprising.
He served as minister of foreign affairs from 1981 to 1986.
Sebsi, a French-educated lawyer, will take office, probably in the next few weeks.
In a Facebook post, Marzouki conceded defeat and congratulated Essebsi on winning the election,
Sunday’s presidential run-off vote marked the final step in the country’s transition to full democracy, four years after an uprising toppled long-time leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Essebsi’s victory will enable him to consolidate power, with his new secular party already controlling parliament after defeating the main Islamist party in legislative elections in October.
“I dedicate my victory to the martyrs of Tunisia. I thank Marzouki, and now we should work together without excluding anyone,” Essebsi told local television.
The landmark second-round vote sets Tunisia apart from the turmoil of other Arab countries that went through uprisings that started in 2011 and were known by some as “the Arab Spring”.
The election was held amid tight security and the closure of main border posts with strife-torn neighbour Libya and is considered Tunisia’s first free presidential election since independence from France in 1956.
Meanwhile, Iran has commended the first successful free presidential election in Tunisia.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham on Monday congratulated the Tunisian government and nation over the successfully held presidential election and the consolidation of the democratic process, which she said are the important achievements of the Tunisian revolution. – Al Jazeera/Agencies.
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