Tunisia to hold parliamentary, presidential polls in Oct, Dec

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tunisia's parliament on Wednesday, June 25, agreed to hold parliamentary elections on Oct 26 and a presidential poll a month later, Reuters reported.

Lawmakers approved for the first round of a presidential election to be held on Nov 23 and a second round at the end of December.

The polls will be the first since Tunisia adopted a new constitution this year, and the second since the former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country after mass protests against him in 2011.

Islamist party Ennahda won the first free election after Ben Ali's fall and formed the first government, but the assassination of two secular opposition leaders triggered a political crisis.

Nonetheless, Tunisia's relatively smooth progress contrasts with the turmoil in Egypt, Libya and Yemen, which also ousted long-standing leaders three years ago.

Peaceful elections this year could help to restore investor confidence in the Tunisian economy, which has slumped amid political turmoil, violence and mismanagement.

The budget deficit is expected to touch 8 percent by the end of 2014, more than 50 percent higher than under Ben Ali.