By Adel al-Thabeti
TUNIS (AA) – Tunisians began on Sunday to vote in the country’s first local election since a popular uprising ousted autocrat Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.
Polling stations opened at 8:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) across the North African country.
“We vote to improve municipal services,” Mahmoud Balti, a Tunisian voter, told Anadolu Agency as he cast his ballot in the capital Tunis.
“I came early [to cast ballot] due to the importance of the municipal councils,” he said.
“The local polls are more important than the legislative and presidential elections because they focus on local governance,” Jamal Abdul Nasser, another voter, told Anadolu Agency.
More than 50,000 candidates are vying for seats in the local polls.
Some 5,369,000 Tunisians are eligible to cast ballots in the vote, according to the electoral commission.
