Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Tunisia Polls Suggest Conservative Professor Wins Election

Associated Press

   TUNIS, TUNISIA - A conservative, Islamist-backed law professor looked
   set to assume Tunisia's presidency after polling agencies suggested he
   overwhelmingly won Sunday's runoff election in the country that
   unleashed the Arab Spring pro-democracy uprisings.

   Kais Saied's supporters exploded with joy, celebrating on the main
   boulevard of Tunis even though official results from Sunday's runoff
   vote weren't expected until Tuesday.

   The winner of the topsy-turvy election inherits a North African country
   struggling to create jobs, revive tourism and overcome sporadic
   extremist violence -- but proud of its still-budding democracy. This is
   only Tunisia's second free presidential election.

   Polls carried in Tunisian media by Sigma Conseil and Emhrod Consulting
   forecast that Saied would come out on top with between 72% and 77% of
   the vote. Rival Nabil Karoui, who was in jail for most of the campaign,
   was projected to win between 23% and 27%.

.