TUNIS
The U.S.-based Carter Center, which is taking part in monitoring Sunday's presidential run-off vote in Tunisia, said it has not observed any significant violations at the polls during the first half of the day.
Ambassador Audrey Glover, the head of Carter Center's monitoring mission in Tunisia, told a press conference in capital Tunis that the center's 65 monitors who visited many polling stations across the country have documented irregularities related to slight delays from the scheduled 8am (0700 GMT) opening time.
She also said the monitors have not witnessed any incidents of violence during the voting process.
"The Tunisian electoral commission has conducted some necessary changes to improve its performance following the first round of presidential elections as well as [late October's] parliamentary elections," Glover told The Anadolu Agency.
Until 10:30am (0930 GMT) – two and a half hours after the polls opened – voter turnout reached 14.04 percent in Tunisia, and 17.03 percent abroad, according to Tunisia's Independent High Electoral Commission.
Polling on Sunday in Tunisia is scheduled to end at 6pm (1700 GMT).
Nearly 5.3 million Tunisian voters are eligible to cast ballot in Sunday's election, which is billed as the final round of the country's first democratic presidential vote.
The first round of Tunisia's presidential election – in which 27 candidates competed – saw Beji Caid Essebsi of Nidaa Tounes party winning some 1.9 million votes (39.4 percent) and interim President Moncef Marzouki clinching roughly 1.1 million votes (33.4 percent).
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