Marzouki campaign cites 'breaches' in Tunisia runoff

TUNIS

The campaign of interim Tunisian President and presidential hopeful Moncef Marzouki said it had documented "a considerable number of electoral violations" during Sunday's runoff vote, but would await final poll results before taking any formal action.

"The campaign registered a number of violations, which included voter intimidation, tarnishing Marzouki's image, and assaulting his supporters," Marzouki campaign head Naeb Anwar al-Gharbi told The Anadolu Agency.

Al-Gharbi also alleged that the heads of several polling stations had "not been impartial" during the voting process.

The campaign, he added, would deal with the violations "without questioning the poll's integrity."

"If we decide to go to court, it wouldn't be a political move, but rather a decision aimed at safeguarding the integrity of future polls," he stressed.

After 75 percent of the votes were counted, Marzouki had garnered some 45.5 percent, while his rival, Beji Caid Essebsi of the Nidaa Tounes party, appeared to have won some 54.4 percent.

A leading member of Essebsi's presidential team had said earlier that initial results had shown his candidate winning Sunday's vote.

Official results, however, have yet to be announced.

Sunday's poll represented the conclusion of Tunisia's first presidential election since the ouster of long-serving President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in a popular uprising in 2011.

A victory for Essebsi will allow him to consolidate power after Nidaa Tounes won more seats in parliament than any other party in October polls.

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