Tunisia: Polls Show Ennahda Leads, Liberals Runners-Up

Supporters of the Islamist party Ennahda gathered outside of the party’s headquarters in Tunis to celebrate what they are calling a victory in Tunisia’s first elections. The crowd chanted “The people are Muslim”, “We will not surrender”, and “No to atheism”. Of the 217 seats, Ennahda is reported to have won 56 seats in the constituent assembly. In a radio interview with Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of Ennahda, stated ”It is natural that the party which obtained the majority heads the government.” Yet, Ghannouchi also stated “We stress once again that we wish to cooperate with all parties without any exclusion.” He also met with Tunisia’s stock market executives on Wednesday to stress that new government will be business friendly.

However, many liberal parties have emerged as runner-ups in the polls, leading many to argue that the elections should be seen “as a call for change, not necessarily an embrace of religious rule.” As the results were being compiled, many liberals said half of the votes went to the various liberal parties, and half to Ennahda. The results come as 400 Tunisians took to the streets alleging Ennahda and other parties used fraud to win votes. They carried banners which read: “What democracy?” and “Shame on you Ghannouchi!” Kristine Goulding also discusses the possibility of Tunisian women becoming “meaningfully” involved in the state building process and difficult challenges ahead for Tunisian women.