国际英语新闻:Feature: Tunisians hope for better future via presidential election

TUNIS, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- "I voted for the one I trust, the one who would guarantee the stability of the country and better lifestyle for all citizens," said a 76-year-old Tunisian who came to one of the polling stations in the capital Tunis on Sunday morning.

This will be the second free presidential election in the North African country following the previous one held in December 2014.

The polling centers in 27 constituencies opened on Sunday at 8 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and will be closed at 6 p.m.. They are traditionally located in primary and secondary schools across Tunisia with strong security presence and special forces armed with assault rifles.

A total of 7 million people are eligible to choose a new president between two candidates, Kais Saied and Nabil Karoui, to succeed late President Beji Caid Essebsi who died on July 25 at the age of 92.

A law professor at Tunis University, the independent candidate Kais Saied is the author of numerous books and articles dealing with constitutional law, but he was barely known before the first round of presidential election held on Sept. 15.

Saied participated in drafting the Constitution of Tunisia but otherwise is a populist in politics. Despite no party behind and running a low-profile campaign, he came out ahead in the first round of the presidential election by winning 18.4 percent of the votes.

"He's clean, educated and poor. I vote for Saied," said Mohammed Amin, a 20-year-old university student majoring in engineering. One exit poll in the first round of the election suggested that Saied won more than a third of the youth vote.

Another candidate Nabil Karoui, leader of Tunisian Heart party and a media mogul, was jailed on Aug. 23 for suspected tax evasion and money laundering and released only four days before the second round of presidential election.

Compared with low-profile Saied, Karoui was well known for owning the Nessma TV and a charity called "Khalil Tounes," which distributed food and clothes to the poor on camera.

"We need food, we need clothes, we need better condition, and Nabil Karoui will provide us with everything we need," said Mabrouka Salhi, an old woman.

Karoui ranked second in the first round of election by getting 15.4 percent of the votes, most of which came from rural areas.

"We need food, but the real thing we need is to find a key solving Tunisia's economic problems," said Terbi Nourddine, a middle-aged lawyer who cast a blank ballot.

In his opinion, an ideal leader of the North African country should find proper ways to improve people's lives.

In the almost 12-million-population country, the unemployment rate climbed to 15.3 percent in the second quarter of 2019, according to official statistics, and inflation registered 6.7 percent in September.

Tourism was vital to Tunisia, contributing around eight percent of GDP and providing thousands of job opportunities. However, this industry was strongly damaged in 2015 after dozens of foreign tourists, most from Europe, were killed in a spate of terror attacks in the country.

Life is not easy for a great number of Tunisians, but they still remain hopeful for the future.

"I'm expecting the elected president to improve Tunisia's economy and develop the health and education sectors in the country," said Hela Belghith Nouira, a young woman.

According to the Constitution, the Independent High Authority for Elections has three days after the election day to release official results.