TUNIS

Voter turnout in Tunisia's presidential elections, which kicked off earlier Sunday, has neared 40 percent in 4,000 polling stations across the country as of 1pm local time (12pm GMT), member of the country's electoral commission Kamal al-Tujani said.

Head of the commission Chafik Sarsar had said earlier that domestic voter turnout in the presidential elections had reached 11.85 percent as of 11am local time (10pm GMT).

Voter turnout abroad reached 18.61 percent as of 11am local time (10am GMT), according to Sarsar.

Polls opened at 8am local time (07:00 GMT) with nearly 5.2 million people being eligible to cast their ballots in a vote billed as the first free presidential election in the country that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings three years ago.

Tunisia's Essebsi vows to 'respect people's will' in polls

Tunisian presidential hopeful Beji Caid Essebsi on Sunday cast his ballot in the country's presidential poll and vowed to respect the election results.

"I am hopeful that the voter turnout will be big. I'm sure Tunisia will continue with its democratic transition," Essebsi told reporters after he cast his ballot in the northern province of Ariana.

He also vowed to "respect the people's will" to be reflected by the election results.

Essebsi's is the leader of the Nidaa Tounes Party, which clinched the most seats by a single party in last month's parliamentary elections, and is considered as a frontrunner in the Sunday vote.

Polls opened at 8am local time (07:00 GMT) as nearly 5.2 million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots in a vote billed as the first free presidential election in the country that sparked the Arab Spring uprisings three years ago.

Carter Center praises launch of Tunisia elections

The Carter Center election observation mission said Sunday that the voting process of Tunisia's presidential elections has kicked off in a decent, peaceful and professional manner.

The assertion came in a press conference by the mission's head Mary Ann Peters on Sunday at a polling station in the capital Tunis to report on how the presidential elections are proceeding.

According to Peters, the mission has not detected any violations so far.

Peters also stressed that the observation mission is neutral and that its role is limited to observing the election process and the extent of Tunisia's adherence to the international standards of conducting elections.

The members of the 75-strong mission have been present at polling stations across the country since the morning to monitor the opening of the ballot boxes, even before the beginning of the electoral process, she added.

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