Arab Spring’s first election in Tunisia

Tomorrow will mark the first election of the Arab Spring in Tunisia, the country that sparked the uprising of Arab discontent.

The election for a National Constituent Assembly, which will put secularists against Islamists, is being billed as the freest and fairest since Tunisia’s former ruler, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, was overthrown by protesters last January, CNN reports.

Read more at GlobalPost: Tunisia elections seen as litmus test for Arab Spring

Candidates will compete for 218 seats in the assembly, which will be charged with writing a new constitution and probably deciding the structure of Tunisia’s future government, CNN reports. Voting started two days ago in the Tunisian Diaspora.

About 55 percent of eligible Tunisians registered to vote after the uprisings, but the turnout could be higher if citizens present an ID card and vote without registering, the Washington Post reports.

Read more at GlobalPost: Analysis: Tunisia's democracy has a head start

This election’s outcome will set the precedent for the upcoming elections for other Arab nations currently revolting.

“If we succeed, we’ll send the message that democracy is possible as we sent the message that it is possible to remove a dictator,” said Sihem Bensedrine, a journalist and human rights activist, the Washington Post reports. “We will be the recipe.”

Read more at GlobalPost: Ben Ali associates "who tried to flee" on trial in Tunisia

Since Ben Ali was overthrown in January, life has still proven to be difficult for Tunisians, especially due to poor economic conditions. Tunisian voters have voiced one of their biggest concerns is job creation, Al Jazeera reports.