Partial results indicate Ben Ali to win the Tunisian Presidential elections at 90%
Tunisia, Politics, 10/25/2004

It was announce din Tunis in several balloting centers that Zine al-Abidin Ben Ali got rates exceeding 90% while his nearest rival got only 5% of the votes.

On Sunday evening Bin Ali got in the 26 several balloting centers in Tunis results ranging between 96.52% and 92.6% announced then by the Tunisian ministry of the Interior.

The ministry is expected to announce later the final results of voting which is viewed as settled final for the interest of the President and his democratic constitutional party.

On the other hand, the Arab league assistant secretary general for political affairs and chairman of the observers mission Ahmad Bin heli said that the general Tunisian elections " have not witnessed huge violations." Bin heli considered that the " elections were organized according to international objective criterion" noting that " conditions availed citizens to freely express their choice." Some 4.6 million Tunisians eligible to voting were invited to cast their votes in 12903 balloting centers. Lists of the candidates in the 26 circles indicate that two thirds of the candidates for the parliamentary positions are new with a rate of 25% for women, while the lists of the democratic constitutional coalition do not include any government s members or in the political bureau of the party, with the exception of Foaud al-Mebzeh, the current speaker of parliament. Worthy mentioning that the ruling party has some 148 seats in the already expired parliament.

BEn Ali assumed power in Tunisia in 1987 after he had replaced al-Habib Bourquiba, the founder of Modern Tunisia who announced complete discrepancy because of old age. BEn Ali was re-elected in 1999 after getting a rate of 99.44% of the votes, according to official statistics.

Competing in the Presidential election, in addition to the current president are Muhammad Ali helwani from the renewal ( al-Tajdid) party, along side with Muhammad Abu Sheiha ( the people's unit) and Munir al-Naji of the Tunisian ( social liberation ) party.

Previous Stories:
  Main opposition party in Tunisia withdraws from elections   (10/22/2004)
  Tunisian opposition wants presidential elections monitored, accuses government of confiscating freedoms   (10/18/2004)
  Ben Ali: elections will be transparent, democratic   (10/11/2004)

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