Early Tunisia poll results confirm Al Nahda as new powerhouse

Tunis: Early morning election results in Tunisia have confirmed the leadership of Al Nahda, the Islamist party, the dismal performance of the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), and the better-than-expected show by the Congress for the Republic Party (CPR).

With results trickling in slowly, Al Nahda consolidated the outstanding results it achieved abroad by carrying half of the seats, nine out of 18, for expatriate Tunisians, securing four of the ten seats for grabs in the governorate of Sousse.

It also won three of the four seats in the governorate of Tataouine in the south of Tunisia where Star Wars was filmed and which gave its name to Tatooine, the harsh desert world orbiting twin suns along the Outer Rim of the galaxy.

Al Nahda carried two more seats in the governorate of Kebili, also in the south of the country and two seats in the governorate of Beja, in the northwest.

The CPR carried two seats in Kebili and one in Beja and one in Sousse while the Popular Petition won three seats, in Tataouine, Kebili and Beja. Attakatol won one seat in Sousse and another one in Beja. The Initiative Party won two seats in Sousse while and the Popular petition carried one seat in Sousse.

The PDP, the centre-left party tipped before the elections to be the second most successful party and the secular counterweight to Al Nahda, has so far won one seat in Sousse and one in Beja.

Its leaders have already conceded defeat and said that they would not join any alliance and would remain in the minority.

Al Nahda said that it expected to win more than 30 per cent of the seats.

Official results will be announced on Tuesday afternoon, the Independent Higher Commission for the Elections has said.