Tunisia’s Islamist Enn­ahda party claimed victory late on Sunday in the country’s first free municipal elections, a key step in a democratic transition marred by economic disappointment.

A top Ennahda official said the party was more than five percent ahead of its secularist rival, Nidaa Tounes, citing vote counts observed by the party. Ennahda and Nidaa Tounes are also coalition partners in the national government.

Published in Dawn, May 7th, 2018