Outsiders battle political elite as Tunisia votes

Outsider candidates challenged Tunisia's political elite on Sunday as voters returned to the polls weeks after a presidential election that reshaped the country's post-Arab Spring political landscape.

Polling stations for the seven-million-strong electorate closed at 6:00 pm (1700 GMT), with preliminary official results scheduled for Wednesday, although exit polls will be released from late Sunday.

The ink-stained fingers once proudly displayed after the 2011 revolution were briskly wiped clean as Tunisians fed up with the status quo cast ballots for lawmakers for the third time since the 2010-2011 uprising.

"I came to vote out of duty, nothing more," said Abdeljlil Frihi, in his 70s, scrubbing his finger and railing against a political class that "sank" the country.

The legislative vote comes after candidates aligned with traditional political parties were eclipsed by independent runners during the first round of presidential polls last month in a trend that looked likely to ...