ALL PHOTOS: D. HAKES/THE CARTER CENTER
Long lines of Tunisians waited for hours to vote on Sunday to choose 217 members of a Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution--many casting a ballot for the first time in their lives--in the country's first open and competitive election in decades.
"Before, it was useless to vote, it meant nothing here," said Lotfi, 55, of Tunis. "Now it is our future and that of our children. This is making us very proud."
Many others spoke of their hope for a brighter future for the economy, development, and democracy.
"Voting is our right," said Mohammed, 19, a university student. "We want to live free and have good opportunity. I want a job and to be able to raise a family."
At 3:30 p.m., many poll centers in Tunis still had hundreds of people in line. People draped flags around themselves and took pictures with friends, some pulled up chairs to rest, and others simply quietly waited, as the afternoon sun's shadows grew long.
Across the city of Tunis, Tunisian flags were hung from light posts, strung across polling stations, even draped across cars. The sense of pride was palpable.
"Tunisia launched the Arab Spring and now was the first to hold elections," said Dr. John Hardman, president and CEO of ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ, who is co-leading the Center's 60-member election observation mission to Tunisia with former Mauritius President Cassam Uteem and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter.
"What happens here could be a model for other countries in the region like Egypt and Libya. It's significant. Everyone will be watching this process."
¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ's long-term observers have been deployed since early August and were joined by a larger short-term delegation to monitor the counting and tabulation processes. On Oct. 24, observers returned to Tunis to debrief with the group after their deployment throughout the country. Their findings will form the basis of the Center's preliminary findings, to be released on Oct. 25 and available at www.cartercenter.org.
The Center will remain in Tunisia through the resolution of electoral complaints for the National Constituent Assembly elections.
Read More
Oct. 21, 2011: ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Answers Your Questions About the Historic Oct. 23 Tunisia Elections >
Oct. 16, 2011: Former Mauritius President Cassam Uteem to Co-Lead ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Delegation to Observe Tunisia's Oct. 23
Elections (عربي) (En français) >
Oct. 3, 2011: ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ Calls on Tunisian Election Authorities to Finalize Critical Procedures and Intensify Voter Outreach (عربي)
En français (PDF) >
Read more about the ¶¥¼¶¹ú²úÊÓƵ's work in Tunisia >
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