Beji Caid Essebsi : to face Marzouki in run-off

The run-off battle in Tunisia’s first free presidential election was confirmed Wednesday, after secular frontrunners Beji Caid Essebsi and incumbent Moncef Marzouki finished top in the first round.

Political veteran Essebsi, 87, came out ahead in the first round vote at the weekend, securing 39.46 percent of votes cast, six percentage points ahead of President Marzouki, results showed Tuesday.

As no candidate won an overall majority at the ballot boxes on Sunday, a second round of voting will now be held, with the date still to be decided, the head of the ISIE elections body Chafik Sarsar told reporters.

Marzouki secured 33.43 percent of votes cast in an election which European Union observers hailed as “pluralist and transparent”.

Left-wing figurehead Hamma Hammami came third with 7.82 percent, followed by London-based Islamist entrepreneur Hechmi Hamdi (5.75 percent) and wealthy businessman and football club president Slim Riahi (5.55 percent).

Sunday’s election was the first time Tunisians have voted freely for their head of state since independence from France in 1956.

The North African nation that sparked the Arab Spring has known just two presidents before Marzouki came to power — “father of independence” Habib Bourguiba and Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who was forced to flee on January 14, 2011 by a popular uprising.

Marzouki was elected president at the end of 2011 by the National Constituent Assembly under a coalition deal with the then ruling Islamist Ennahda party, which came second in a parliamentary election last month behind the anti-Islamist Nidaa Tounes party.