Tunisia's secularist party wins parliamentary elections

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tunisia's secularist party Nidaa Tounes has won 85 seats in the country's parliament following the elections, official results show, according to BBC News.

The governing Islamist Ennahda party won 69 seats in the 217-seat chamber.

The official results confirm earlier predictions and Ennahda officials have already urges Nidaa Tounes to form an inclusive government.

Tunisia's transition to democratic rule after a 2011 revolt has been hailed as a regional success story. The revolt was the first and least violent of the Arab Spring uprisings against autocratic governments across the region.

The parliamentary poll was the second such election since the uprising.

Tunisia's secularists and Islamists are believed to have managed the transition to democracy with less acrimony and bloodshed than their neighbors. The country nevertheless faces a persistent low-level threat from militants.

Around five million Tunisians were registered to cast their ballot.