Voting begins in Tunisia's crucial presidential election

TUNIS, Tunisia

Voting in Tunisia's presidential election began Sunday morning, with over 9.7 million registered voters heading to the polls to elect the country's next leader.

This is Tunisia's third presidential election since the January 14, 2011, revolution that deposed former President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

Farouk Bouasker, head of Tunisia's Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE), announced that voting began at 8:00 a.m. local time (0700GMT) and will last until 6:00 p.m. (1700GMT).

The electoral authority said 5,000 polling stations have opened across the country, and approximately 642,000 Tunisians living abroad have already begun voting in 400 polling stations set up in 59 countries as of Friday.

The electoral authority announced the final list of candidates on Sept. 2, and it includes three contenders: incumbent President Kais Saied, opposition candidate Ayachi Zammel, secretary-general of the Azimoun movement, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, secretary-general of the People's Movement – a supporter of Saied.

Tunisia's election takes place amid political tensions, economic challenges, and a polarized electorate.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi