Tunisia: Ennahda's Souad Abderrahim to become capital's first ever female mayor after local elections

Souad Abderrahim is set to be elected first female mayor of Tunis, in the country's first free municipal elections since the 2011 revolution.

Abderrahim, who headed the Tunis list of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, ran against 10 male candidates for the May 6 polls.

Speaking to the Associated Press before the vote, the 54-year-old pharmacist-turned-politician said her campaign should be "a source of pride for Tunisian women".

Sunday's election was the first time Tunisians went to the polls to elect local representatives since the North African country's revolution that saw the fall of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. 

After polling stations closed at 6pm, top Ennahda official Lotfi Zitoun told Reuters the party was more than 5 percent ahead of its secularist rival and coalition partner, Nidaa Tounes, citing vote counts observed by the party.

However a low turnout of 33.7 percent, according to the election commission, reflected the population's frustration over the slow pace of change since 2011.

The country has been lauded for its transition from decades of dictatorship to democracy, but Tunisia has struggled with persistent economic challenges including an inflation rate which stands at around eight percent and an unemployment rate of more than 15 percent.

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The country was hit by a wave of protest at the start of the year over a new austerity budget introduced by the government.

More than 57,000 candidates, half of them women and young people, ran for office in Tunisia's 350 municipalities. 

It was also the first time police and soldiers were permitted to vote.

The electoral commission is due to confirm the results in the coming days.