Nine months after the Arab Spring began on their streets, the voters of Tunisia turned out on Sunday en masse to vote in their first free election. These elections are time for each and every Tunisian to bask in the status of being trailblazers for others across North Africa. And Tunisians grasped this opportunity with both hands — voter turnout is expected to be in excess of 80 per cent, a level of participation which validates the actions of those who took to the streets earlier this year.
For most Tunisians, voting in a free and fair elections were but a dream a year ago. Now, Tunisia has changed for ever. There can be no return to the days of one-party democracy or lack of transparency.
Indeed, as Tunisians gathered to cast their ballots, there were no reports of violence, no acts of intimidation, no second guessing that failing to place an "X" in the right place would have repercussions on family.
Tunisians can take pride from the manner in which their elections ran smoothly. They will elect 218 deputies who are charged with choosing a president and a prime minister who will run their nation during its renaissance. And they will decide on the future shape of its constitution and democratic institutions.
Deciding on the framework of the government is not a choice that can be made lightly. There are those who will seek to assert their opinions and philosophies on all, and failing to form an effective framework with checks and balances will merely set Tunisia on a course for further disruption.
Right now, though, let other nations who have followed the path taken by Tunisia watch and take heed.
And in the coming months, let the leaders of the Arab Spring uprisings take note that building inclusive institutions requires time and thought.
