Polls close in first round of Tunisian presidential election

Polling booths closed at 6 pm in Tunisia on Sunday after voting in the first round of a presidential election in the young democracy.

The head of the electoral commission had earlier called for young voters to head to the polls, with turnout standing at only 27.8% by 3pm. With more than two dozen candidates on the ballot paper, no overwhelming favourite had emerged before voting began, making it the most unpredictable election in Tunisia's brief history of democracy. Tunisian presidential candidate Kais Saied said on radio on Sunday that an exit poll showed he was ahead after the first round of voting, with the top two candidates to advance to a second round.