New delay in Tunisia's first post-revolution municipal elections

Tunisia has set a new date next May for the long delayed first post-revolution municipal elections, polling officials said on Saturday.

The polling date had originally been set for 25 March, but a meeting with political parties requested the delay to better prepare for the vote.

The Independent High Authority for Elections said the new polling date was set for 6 May.

The polls have been seen as the final stage in Tunisia's transition to democracy following its 2011 uprising which sparked the so-called Arab Spring revolutions.

Following the revolution, local municipalities were dissolved and replaced by provisional bodies set up to manage urban centres known as "special delegations".

The restructuring move coincided with falling living standards in cities and towns where the collection of garbage has been sporadic and the quality of infrastructure has deteriorated.

Almost five million Tunisians will be eligible to vote to elect the leaders of 350 municipalities next year.

Tunisia has been praised for its democratic transition over the past six years, during which time a new constitution was adopted and legislative and presidential polls held in 2014.

But successive governments have failed to make the changes needed to trim deficits and create growth.