Tunisia presidential elections sailing on uncertain waters

The next President of Tunisia will be decided on 6 October as none of the candidates appears to have secured the 50 percent of the vote + one.

Two anti-establishment candidates claimed the lead in the first round on Monday, but none of the 24 candidates standing in the election appears to have reached the majority needed to avoid a second round. 

This was the second since election since Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was removed in the 2011 revolution.

Yet voters showed signs of apathy, especially among the young, as the elections commission (ISIE) reported turnout was only 45 percent, down from 64 percent recorded in the first round in 2014. 

As to the candidates who will contest the second round, if indeed results - expected to be announced tomorrow, Tuesday - confirmed none got over 50 percent, it is hard to say at this stage as there are a few claiming to have come first in the first round.

Kais Said ran a low-key campaign as an independent and claimed to be in the lead for the runoff.  

The same claimed media mogul Nabil Karoui, who is on remand in prison on corruption charges he denies.

In third place according to some exit polls, would be the Ennahda-backed candidate Abdelfattah Mourou on 11%.