Tunisian vote raises democracy hope
A Tunisian woman shows her ink-stained finger as she leaves a polling station on October 26, 2014.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- Elections in Tunisia on Sunday are about much more than one country. They could mark a big step toward democracy.
If the country's transition toward democracy "continues to move forward, it would be a powerful signal that democracy can take root in the Arab world," said Anthony Dworkin of the European Council on Foreign Relations.
"At a time when hopes of moving towards political reform and accountable governments elsewhere in the Arab world have been dashed, Tunisia is the only country where the aspirations of the Arab uprisings may yet be fulfilled in the near future," Dworkin wrote in an analysis.
Tunisia is the only country where the aspirations of the Arab uprisings may yet be fulfilled in the near future. Anthony Dworkin, European Council on Foreign Relations
"Even if Tunisia's example does not inspire any immediate followers in the region, the consolidation of a successful democracy in the country would be a powerful signal that reform and political pluralism are not doomed to fail in the Arab world."
Tunisians headed to the polls to vote for their first post-revolution parliament, marking the end of three years of transitional governance that has been marred by rising extremism and economic failure.
The atmosphere was tense in the country labeled the cradle of the 2011 Arab Spring: Over 70,000 members of security forces and heavily armored trucks patrolled the main streets, amid threat of attack from terror groups.
More than 5 million people, about half the population, registered to vote. They are set to choose among thousands of candidates vying for 217 seats in the People's Assembly, the country's first permanent legislature since the 2011 popular uprising which ousted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
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Tunisian vote raises democracy hope