Tunisians vote in historic presidential run-off

TUNIS: Tunisians voted on Sunday in a presidential run-off election that completes the country´s transition to full democracy nearly four years after an uprising which ousted autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.

With a new progressive constitution and a full parliament elected in October, Tunisia is hailed as an example of democratic change for a region still struggling with the aftermath of the 2011 Arab Spring revolts.

The North African nation avoided the bitter post-revolt divisions troubling Libya and Egypt, but Sunday´s election is between a former Ben Ali official and the incumbent who claims to defend the legacy of the 2011 revolution.

Frontrunner Beji Caid Essebsi, a former parliament speaker under Ben Ali, won 39 percent of votes in the first round of voting in November with current president Moncef Marzouki taking 33 percent of the ballots.

Polling opened at 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) with a heavy security presence at voting stations around the capital Tunis.

Official preliminary results were not expected until Monday.

Overnight one gunman was killed and three arrested after they opened fire on a polling station in the central Kairouan governorate, a defence ministry official said. (Reuters)