A former official of the ousted Tunisian leader Ben Ali looks set to go into a close run-off ballot in the country’s historic presidential elections.<br /><br />87-year-old Beji Caid Essebsi, the parliamentary chief under Ben Ali, is claiming a significant lead after polling on Sunday.<br /><br />He is likely to go into the second round with the incumbent president, Moncef Marzouki, who has warned of going back to what he calls the “one-party figures” of the past.<br /><br />Essebsi maintains the country will benefit from his experience, casting himself as a technocrat who gets results.<br /><br />The run-off is expected to be held next month.
