Ben Ali elected for fifth term

TUNISIA’S president has been re-elected for a fifth five-year term with 89.62% of the vote, the country’s interior ministry announced yesterday.

It was the lowest percentage of the vote by President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali since he took power in a bloodless coup in 1987.

Ben Ali was last re-elected in 2004 with more than 94% of votes – a drop from his previous victories, which fluctuated between 99.2% and 99.7%.