Exit poll expected in Tunisia's presidential run-off poll

In Tunisia, polls closed at 17:00 GMT on Sunday in the second round of Presidential election.

Preliminary turn out figures suggested that the poll drew more people than the first round held in September or a parliamentary election a week ago.

“We are not receiving any reports from our observers that suggest to us that there are great administrative flaws with the process. If anything I would say that the fact that the election commission has conducted now three elections in a row, in a very short time period, suggest to me that the election workers are getting fairly well practiced in the administering the process. But, as I say, there is this interesting overlay that is a cause for concern, that is the fact that there are questions about whether the playing field provided an opportunity for each of the two contestants to compete on equal footing”, said Scott Mastic, VP for programs at International Republican Institute.

As at 14:30 GMT on Sunday, the electoral commission pegged turn out at 39.2 percent.

The first round had a turn out of 27.8 percent. The run-off pitted Kais Saied, an independent retired law professor against Nabil Karoui, a media mogul facing graft allegations.

A local radio station, Mosaique FM was reported by Reuters as citing an exit poll by the polling company Emrod, as giving Kais Saied 72.53 percent of votes.

Reuters