TUNEZ (AP) – A conservative Islamist-backed law professor is shaping up to take over Tunisia’s presidency after polls point out that he overwhelmingly won the second round of the country’s elections that slammed the uprisings on Sunday in favor of the democracy of the Arab Spring.Kais Saied supporters burst with jubilation, celebrating on the main avenue of the Tunisian capital while the professor thanked them and announced plans to travel to neighbouring Libya and Algeria and advocate for the Palestinians.
The official results of the elections, in which Saied’s opponent, Nabil Karoui, spent much of the campaign in prison, are expected until Tuesday. The winner will inherit a North African country that struggles to create jobs, revive tourism and overcome sporadic extremist violence, but is proud of its still nascent democracy. These elections are just the second free in Tunisian history.The Sigma Conseil and Emhrod Consulting surveys published by the Tunisian media predict that Saied will win with between 72 and 77% of the vote. The Karoui media tycoon is expected to get between 23 and 27%. Pollsters interviewed several thousand people in various constituencies on Election Day. Emhrod Consulting said its survey had a margin of error of two percentage points, while Sigma Conseil noted that his was 1.5 points. Saied, 61, is an independent conservative who is backed by the Islamist party Ennahdha, which won last week’s parliamentary elections. He vowed to end Tunisia’s governance structure, giving more power to young people and local governments.” It is being moved to a new page in history,” he told reporters in Tunisia after the polls were released. The former constitutional law professor promised to defend the country’s constitution drawn up after the revolution, claiming that “no one will be above the law.” Despite Ennahdha’s support, he described himself as politically neutral.” I am independent and will continue to be so until the end of my life,” he said during the campaign.
