TUNIS, Tunisia — Tunisians recently went to the polls to cast votes in the country’s first municipal elections since the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the 2011 revolution. The Independent High Electoral Commission announced the preliminary results May 10, with independent candidates winning the most votes, at 32.9%, followed by Ennahda with 29.68% and Nidaa Tunis with 22.17%.

Most Tunisians cast their ballots on May 6, but military and security personnel had cast theirs prior to that, on April 29, amid objections to their participation on the grounds that it would lead to political and partisan polarization in the ranks. Military members have not been allowed to vote since shortly after independence, in 1956, and the prohibition was extended to police and state security forces in the 1980s.

Electoral commission head Mohamed Tlili al-Mansri had on April 28 announced the exceptional procedures to protect security personnel choosing to cast ballots, such as not posting lists of voters at polling stations, to shield their personal data. Authorities held off on counting their votes, however, waiting until May 6 to tally them with the civilian ballots. Personnel were also not allowed to dip their fingers in the requisite ballot ink at polling stations for security reasons.

According to the electoral commission's official statistics, 4,249 out of 36,495 registered security and military personnel participated in the elections, meaning military turnout stood at a low 12%. Nonetheless, election commission official Riad Bouhouchi praised the participation of security personnel in exercising their constitutional right, telling Al-Monitor that he considered it added value to the municipal elections.