Tunisians vote in first ‘Arab Spring’ election

Tunisian government deploys 40,000 police and soldiers to prevent possible violence resulting from first ‘Arab Spring’ election results for party voted as assembly to create new constitution.

23 October 2011, 12:00am

1 min read

The first free vote election in Tunisia’s history is expected to set standards for other Arab countries experiencing political change due to conflict or governments rushing reforms to suppress unrest.

The Tunisian government said that 40,000 police and soldiers will be deployed to prevent violence from erupting as a result of any protests which may occur if the smallest doubt over legitimacy is felt by rival party supporters.

The ‘Arab Spring’ was set in motion 10 months ago by Tunisiawhen President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was forced to take refuge in Saudi Arabia as a result of mass protests over poverty, unemployment and government oppression.

Tunisians will be voting today for an assembly in their first election of the ‘Arab Spring’ revolts to draft a new constitution to replace the one Ben Ali had used to establish his power over Tunisia.

The vote will also be to appoint an interim government and set elections for a new president and parliament.

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They certainly have a choice with over a hundred different political parties to choose from.This first of the 'Arab Springs"(they refused the term 'Jasmine revolution', coined by the West, because it smacks to much of colonialism) still has a long and probably,less than Libya, bloody way to go before it's over. The Arab Spring in Egypt has turned into a winter nightmare with secterian and religious killings happening on a daily basis. Yet we are fed propaganda and lies by the many so called journalists and commentators supplied by the likes of CNN,SKY,FOX and the Murdoch bunch of hypocrites ,not forgetting our own pathetic media forever repeating the same dirge fed to them by those who have vested interests. Truth everywhere is at a premium.