Tunisia Votes Today

After decades of dictatorship, Tunisians anxiously line up at polling stations in great numbers.

So far, so good. Voter turnout is reported to be high as Tunisians hit the polls in the first election of the Arab Spring. Tunisia will elect a 218 seat constitutional assembly after the January ousting of President Zine al Abidine Ben Ali, who led the country for 23 years. The Islamist Nahda Party is expected to win as 500 international election observers, 7000 Tunisian civilians, and 24,000 party observers keep tabs on the vote to ensure the elections are free and fair. Citizens across the globe, but particularly in Egypt, Syria, and Bahrain, will be watching carefully to see how the outcome of the Tunisian election shapes democracy movements across the Arab world.