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Conservative academic wins presidency by wide margin

CONSERVATIVE law professor Kais Saied is set to become the new president of Tunisia after exit polls showed him securing a thumping 76 per cent of the vote.

The academic defeated media mogul Nabil Karoui, who was forced to run his campaign from prison after he was arrested on charges of money laundering and tax fraud.

Mr Karoui denies the charges and it is believed he may appeal against the outcome of the election, arguing he was not able to run an effective campaign due to his imprisonment.

A court order demanded his release four days before polling and he came second in the first round of voting, with 15.6 per cent of the vote to Mr Saied’s 18.4 per cent.

Mr Saied was greeted by cheers in the capital Tunis following the announcement of the exit polls.

The president-elect thanked “young people for turning a new page” in Tunisia’s history.

“We will try to build a new Tunisia. Young people led this campaign, and I am responsible for them,” he said.

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