A sense of hope and anticipation was evident on a day some thought would never arrive
AHMED SOUIDEN, a 77-year-old first-time voter, steps out of the polling station with an ink-stained index finger and a proud smile.
He is leaning heavily against his walking stick and beads of sweat are running down his forehead after a long wait in the morning sun, but he doesn’t seem to mind.
“I’m very happy I was able to vote,” says the retired restaurateur haltingly. “I never thought I’d see this. It’s wonderful in every way.”
The first free elections in Tunisia’s history, nine months after the country lit the Arab world’s revolutionary flame by deposing dictator Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, made for an emotionally charged day filled with extraordinary scenes.
On television, the country saw the former opposition figure Kamel Jendoubi, now head of the electoral commission, push back tears as he watched Paris-based Tunisians cast their vote for the constituent assembly, which will write a new constitution and map the country’s future.
At the polling station on Rue de Marseille in the capital, Tunis, people waited for three or four hours to reach the door of the schoolhouse. It felt like a street party, the crowd every so often breaking out in spontaneous applause or launching into the chorus of the national anthem, a tune reclaimed by the revolutionaries during those heady days of winter.
At one point, a young man lifted a sheet of paper bearing the number 7 in the air and theatrically tore it into little pieces. A huge, guttural roar rose from the crowd. For Tunisians, the number 7 brings to mind November 7th, 1987 – the day, as they were constantly reminded, that Ben Ali took power in a coup.
Taking pictures of themselves in the national colours alongside some soldiers, Boutheina Mejerbi (28) and her friend Sawsen Ben Romdhan (33) look like they’re on their way to a football match.
“It’s the same flag I had with me on January 14th,” says Mejerbi, referring to the day Ben Ali fled into exile after huge protests in Tunis.
“I’m so happy. We’ve been in the queue for three hours and I don’t feel tired, I don’t feel thirsty.”
“It never even occurred to me to vote before,” says Ben Romdhan. “We never bothered with politics, never talked about it.”
What were they looking for in candidates? “We want people we can believe,” Mejerbi replies. “We’re tired of lies. We’re tried of being afraid.”
The authorities had gone to every effort to encourage people to take part.
In the Tunis suburb of La Goulette, residents woke up to find a giant portrait of Ben Ali – a common sight until January – hanging on a prominent wall.
An angry crowd quickly formed and started pulling down the portrait, only to reveal a second poster underneath bearing the words: “Wake up! The dictatorship could return! Vote on October 23rd!”
The novelty of the occasion, the palpable sense that Tunisia was writing history, was not lost on voters. “This is something no Tunisian is going to forget. It’s a special moment,” says Arwa Abbassi, a 25-year-old university language assistant.
“I’m taking photos so I’ll be able to show it to the next generation, to our children.”
She is entering the polling booth with a firm set of principles, Abbassi says. “The separation of religion and politics is very important to me . . . I’d like a parliamentary system with lots of parties, like they have in Europe.”
Shopkeepers in Tunis said people had been stockpiling milk and bottled water in case unrest disrupted supplies, while a heavy security presence reflected fears that ex-Ben Ali loyalists could try to destabilise the process.
Election day passed peacefully, however, while the electoral commission said violations, including slogans being shouted near polling centres, appeared relatively minor and predicted a turnout of more than 60 per cent.
Official results are not due until tomorrow, but the shape of the assembly is expected to become clear today.
Opinion polls suggest the main Islamist party, Ennahda, could emerge as the largest group. A government of national unity, including figures from the large liberal parties, is one of the most likely outcomes.
Few Tunisians are under any illusions about the difficult days ahead, but yesterday wasn’t a day for dwelling on them.
As he leaves his polling station in central Tunis, Fourat Binous, an airport employee, asks a friend to take a picture of his inky index finger. “I’m 44 years old, I’ve waited a long time to vote.”
His thoughts turn for a moment to the man who oversaw 23 years of ruthless state repression and rigged elections and who is now in gilded exile in Saudi Arabia.
“I hope Ben Ali is watching all of this on the news. That can be our revenge.”