Tunisians to elect new constituent assembly

Tunisia - Independent Maghreb Press Service - Tunisians started to cast votes early Sunday to elect a constituent assembly tasked with writing a new constitution, in the country's first election since the toppling of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali early this year.
Polling stations opened at 07:00 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) and will close at 19:00.
Voters both at home and abroad are supposed to elect 217 representatives to the National Constituent Assembly (NCA), among whom 199 are in Tunisia and 18 representing Tunisian expatriates in Europe and North America.
Then, the 217-member body will rewrite the constitution and chart the country's transition after the toppling of its veteran leader. It will also have the authority to either appoint a new government or extend the current one's term until general elections.