TUNIS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The election campaign director of Tunisia's main Islamist party, Ennahdha, claimed Tuesday morning an early victory in the country's Constituent Assembly election.
Abdelhamid Jlassi announced that Ennahdha is poised for a big win in the election, according to preliminary results released Tuesday morning, saying that the party obtained 50 percent of the votes abroad and about 20 to 30 percent of the votes at home.
He added that his party wanted to "reassure investors, external markets and foreign partners."
Ennahdha is followed by Ettakatol, a center-left party led by Mustapha Ben Jaafar, and the Congress for the Republic headed by Moncef Marzouki.
The Modernist Democratic Pole and the Democratic Progressive Party (PDP) are vying for the fourth and fifth position in terms of numbers of seats obtained.
On Monday, the head of the PDP, one of the country's major left wing parties, admitted his party had "failed to achieve its objectives" in the election, the official press agency TAP reported.
Nejib Chebbi announced during a press conference in Tunis that the PDP, which won a number of seats in the assembly, will enter the opposition and will not take part in the forthcoming government.
The announcement was made one day before the official release of the election results by the Higher Independent Electoral Commission (ISIE) Tuesday evening.
About 80 to 90 percent of eligible Tunisians cast their ballots to elect a 217-member constituent assembly on Sunday in the country's first independent and transparent elections since the toppling of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali early this year.
The assembly is tasked with drafting the country's new constitution and paving the way for legislative and presidential elections in 12 month's time.
International observers monitoring the event acknowledged the election's regularity, calling it a "success."
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China congratulates Tunisia on election
BEIJING, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday congratulated Tunisia on its landmark election, calling on the country to start a political transition.
"China congratulates Tunisia on holding a successful constituent assembly election and expects the country to take the election as a new start, launch an inclusive political transition, ensure social stability and restore the economic development," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said at a daily press briefing. Full story
Russia hails Tunisia's election as "milestone"
MOSCOW, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday welcomed Tunisia's Constituent Assembly election, hailing it as "a milestone" in the country.
In a statement posed on its website, the ministry said Moscow sees the fundamental changes in Tunisia were pushed by continued efforts in the interests of all levels of the Tunisian society and for the sake of the establishment of a democratic state order. Full story
