Voters in Tunisia voted yesterday in the presidential election, in which 24 candidates are vying for the post of president for a five-year term, in a contest that has seen unprecedented competition. Non-governmental organizations and think-tanks will publish their initial forecasts early Monday, with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announcing the preliminary results tomorrow (September 17th).
After the polling stations closed, the counting of votes began, and the eyes are on the anticipation of the initial results, which remain unresolved, after a fierce competition among 24 candidates.
The counting began immediately after the polling stations were closed, under the supervision of the IHEC staff, local and international observers, and the Tunisian military. The preliminary results of the presidential elections will be announced on Tuesday by the Independent High Electoral Commission.
The High Electoral Commission said that the participation rate in the presidential election reached 16% by midday.
Commenting on the results of the vote, said a member of the Executive Bureau of the network of "observers" non-government, Salim Bouzid, that «the turnout announced by the electoral commission is not good, and indicate a clear reluctance.».
Twenty-four candidates will compete in the presidential elections, after the withdrawal of candidates, Mohsen Marzouk, head of the Tunis Project Movement, and Saleem Riahi, head of the Amal Movement of Tunisia, who decided to withdraw hours before the start of the electoral silence.
The most prominent candidates are Liberal Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, a propagandist arrested on charges of money laundering Nabil Karoui, which sparked widespread controversy in the country, in addition to the candidate of the «Renaissance Movement» Abdel Fattah Moro.
"Today Tunisians are living a big day," the witness said after leaving the polling station. "I call on all Tunisians to vote so that no one decides their fate."
This is Tunisia's second democratic presidential election in its history, the fourth since the start of the political transition in 2011, including the National Constituent Assembly elections in 2011, presidential and legislative elections in 2014, and the municipality in 2018.
The Higher Electoral Commission said that the total number of eligible voters in the presidential elections (the first and second rounds) is seven million 74 thousand 566 voters.
The number of registered voters inside Tunisia reached 6,688,513 voters, and the number of registered voters abroad reached 386,53 voters.
The IHEC has allocated more than 4,500 polling stations across the country, while authorities have paid more than 100,000 security and military personnel to secure the presidential election, the Tunisian Interior Ministry said. .
The election seems open to all possibilities, which has increased the blur of the scene among voters, many of whom have not made up their minds, and observers of different expectations. Non-governmental organizations and think-tanks are expected to publish their initial forecasts at dawn today, with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) announcing the preliminary results tomorrow (September 17th).