Tunisian voters turned out Sunday to choose from a crowded field of candidates after a divisive campaign in the country's second free presidential poll since the 2011 Arab Spring. Prominent candidates, in the absence of opinion polls, included media mogul Nabil Karoui, behind bars due to a money laundering probe, Abdelfattah Mourou, heading a first-time bid for Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha, and Prime Minister Youssef Chahed.

Some 13,000 polling booths opened across Tunisia at 8:00 am (0700 GMT) and Mourou smiled broadly as he cast his ballot, while Chahed said he was "proud of this great event", after voting. "The world is watching. By tonight or tomorrow, Tunisia will be in good hands," the premier said. His popularity has been tarnished by a sluggish economy and the rising cost of living.

The prime minister has also found himself having to vehemently deny accusations that Karoui's detention since late August was politically inspired. At polling stations visited by AFP journalists in the early hours, there was a high proportion of older voters, but few young people.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019