Tunisia to vote in historic poll

22 October 2011 Last updated at 19:34 ET

The moderate Islamists of Ennahda are the frontrunners in the election

Tunisians are set to vote in the first free election of the Arab Spring, nine months after the fall of former President Zinedine el Abidine Ben Ali.

They will elect a 217-seat assembly that will draft a new constitution and appoint an interim government.

Islamist party Ennahda is expected to win the most votes, though it is not clear if it will gain a majority.

Mr Ben Ali fled Tunisia on 14 January amid the first of several mass uprisings across the Arab world.

Campaigning in Tunisia has been marked by concerns over splits between Islamists and secularists, party funding and voter apathy.

But correspondents reported widespread optimism and excitement as the campaign season drew to a close on Friday.

Ennahda, a moderate Islamist party, has sought to allay the fears of Tunisian secularists by stating its commitment to democracy and women’s rights.

Its closest challenger is expected to be the secular, centrist Progressive Democratic Party (PDP).

There are more than seven million people of voting age. More than 100 parties have registered to participate, along with a number of independent lists.

Hundreds of foreign election observers and thousands of local ones will be monitoring the poll.

The EU observer mission has said that the overall campaign has been transparent.

Polls are due to open at 07:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday and close at 19:00, and results are expected by Monday.

The new assembly is expected to draft a new constitution within a year.

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