For the first time in the history of Tunisia’s capital, Tunis, a woman has been elected mayor.
Souad Abderrahim – who ran under the Ennahdha Islamist party – had won the mayoral election with 33.8 percent of votes in early May. She however still needed to secure the support of municipal councillors in order to take office.
In the councillors’ decisive vote conducted on Tuesday, Abderrahim garnered 26 votes against her competitor Kamel Idir’s 22.
Aged 53, the incoming Mayor overcame mammoth obstacles to clinch the seat, including her candidacy’s rejection by some top religious and political figures.
She has dedicated her win to all Tunisian women across the North African country, and hopes it motivates them to pursue their dreams however big.
Abderrahim said her first priority would be to clean up Tunis, a city blighted by problems with waste disposal.
The polls had been billed as a test for Tunisia’s democracy, and the outcome may now be seen as a step in the right direction.
The May municipal elections were the first since the 2011 uprising which sparked the Arab Spring.
