Islamist Ennahda Party Wins Big in Tunisia's First Free Elections | Update2
[By Arezki Daoud | US+508-981-6937] The Islamists of the Ennahda Party have won a major victory. Preliminary results of the votes of Tunisian expatriates abroad set the stage for what to expect within Tunisia proper when the results are announced. Ennahda has won 9 of the 18 seats allocated to the Tunisians living abroad, according to election authority "Instance Supérieure Indépendante pour les Eléctions" of ISIE.
Of the five seats earmarked for the Tunisians in France, Ennahda took two. Of the three seats in Italy, two went to Ennahda. It also won the single seat dedicated to the Tunisians in Germany. In North America, Ennahda won one of two seats, while it managed to grab 45% of the votes in the Tunisians in the Arab world. The other noticeable party to score some gains is the "Congrès pour la République."
Vote counting continues in Tunisia proper and no results have been announced yet. But if the Tunisians abroad are used as proxy, Ennahda could emerge as the winner of the post-Ben Ali debacle. The Islamist party appears to already have pocketed between 60 and 65 seats of a parliament that will boast 217 seats. Behind Ennahda will be either the Ettakatol Movement of Mustapha Ben Jaafar and the Congrès pour la République of Moncef Marzouki. An Ettakatol official estimates that his party could grab up to 15% of the interim parliament.A notable loser is the Parti Démocratique Orogressiste (PDP), which has performed poorly in the votting booths.
