Tunisia’s well-organized Islamists have been defeated in parliamentary elections, paying the price for the turbulent years they governed after the Arab Spring that saw the rise of terrorist groups in this North African nation.
Voters sought security and stability with familiar faces from Tunisia’s more authoritarian past, but the Islamists’ substantial weight in the new parliament will make them a player in any future government.
Results from the official election commission are just beginning to trickle Tuesday morning. But exit polling and statistical sampling of voting station results by observer groups have produced a remarkably uniform picture.
The party led by a veteran politician from the previous regime took around 35 percent of the seats of the parliament. The Islamists trailed with just 25 percent of them.
