Tunisians voted on Sunday in general elections boycotted by several opposition parties but praised by President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's leader for 17 years, as a boost to democracy.
Ben Ali, 68, is widely tipped to secure a fourth five-year term. The ruling party of modern Tunisia, the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), is set to keep control over parliament.
Critics dismiss the polls as a farce to disguise what they say is a police state which beats dissidents, makes arbitrary arrests, and holds a tight grip on media and political activity.
The Democratic Progressive Party pulled out of the legislative election, citing unfair conditions including censorship of its election manifesto and limited access to voters and media. Authorities have rejected the charges.
A 45-year-old university teacher, who declined to be named, said she voted for presidential candidate Mohamed Ali Halouani, one of three opponents from small parties.
"I want to encourage the opposition to Ben Ali because it's not fair that he seeks a fourth mandate. He should have opened the way for a democratic alternative," she said at a polling station in the posh Marsa suburb of the capital Tunis.
Under Ben Ali's rule the standard of living has increased significantly. Economic growth has averaged five percent in the past decade. More than two-thirds of households own their homes. Women rights are among the most advanced in the Arab world.
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