A day after its victory in Tunisia's first elections since this North Afrcan state's landmark popular uprising, the Islamic Ennahdha party on Friday urged its political rivals to come togther to build a democracy.
“Only together can we can restore the country and build democracy. We call on all political parties of Tunisia to participate in a national dialogue”, party leader Rashid Ghannouchi said.
Ennahdha won 90 of 217 seats in the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia. The leftist Congress for the Republic (CPR) took second place with 30 seats.
The newly elected Constituent Assembly will rewrite the constitution, appoint a caretaker president and form a caretaker government. Presidential and parliamentary elections are to follow.
Protests swept Tunisia in mid-December, forcing Ben Ali, who had ruled the country for 23 years, to flee to Saudi Arabia. Tunisians took to the streets again in late February, forcing Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi to resign. The Tunisia uprising set off protests around the Arab world.