Tunis: Tunisians are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect a new parliament as the prospect of a full democracy finally comes within their reach, four years after they ousted their long-ruling leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
An electorate of 5.3 million is entitled to vote in parliamentary elections. Fortifive percent of registered voters are younger than the age of 30, and 50 percent are women. There are 217 seats in the Tunisian National Assembly and 1,327 candidates are on the fray.
Opinion polls showed Ennahda party, and their rivals, Nidaa Tounes (Tunisian Call), are favored to win most seats in Sunday's vote. The 217-member assembly will choose a new prime minister. The first round of presidential elections is slated for November 23.
Tunisian authorities had warned militants might seek to disrupt the elections.
On Friday, Tunisian forces killed six people, including five women, after a standoff with a militant group on the outskirts of Tunis. The raid was the latest operation in Tunisia's crackdown on militants.
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