admina popular uprising that set off similar uprisings across the Middle East.
Voters are electing a 217-seat assembly that will appoint a new government and then write a new constitution.
The party expected to come out on top is the moderate Islamic movement Ennahda, whose victory, in a comparatively secular society like Tunisia, could have wide implications for similar religious parties in the region.
Halfway through election day, officials were exalting that turnout was high and had already exceeded expectations, without giving any exact figures.
Soldiers were helping keep order, though no problems were reported in the first part of the day.
The unexpected revolution in this quiet Mediterranean country set off a series of similar uprisings an event now being called the Arab Spring.
Voters in each of the country’s 33 districts, six of which are abroad, have a choice of between roughly 40 and 80 electoral lists, consisting of parties and independent candidates.
A proportional representation system will likely mean that no political party will dominate the assembly, which is expected to be divided roughly between the Ennahda party, centrist parties and leftist parties, requiring coalitions and compromises during the writing of the constitution.
According to the international election commission running the elections, there are 14 083 local and international observers watching polling stations, including delegations from the European Union and the Carter Centre.
In the 10 months since the uprising, Tunisia’s economy and employment, part of the reason for the revolution in the first place, has only become worse as tourists and foreign investors have stayed away.
However, many have expressed indifference about the elections out of frustration that new jobs have yet to appear and life has not improved since the revolution.
“We are jobless, we have nothing and we won’t vote,” he said bitterly.
“Everything is the same, the world is the way it is, and the world will stay the way it is.” – AP.
Online Reporter