Bin Ali wins landslide victory in Tunisia's polls.

Summary: Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin bin Ali was re-elected with 89.28 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections for a fifth term in office after two decades in power, according to results released

Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin bin Ali was re-elected with 89.28 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections for a fifth term in office after two decades in power, according to results released early Monday by the interior ministry.

Vote tallies from 20 of Tunisia's 26 regions showed that in two regions bin Ali won nearly 99 percent of the vote, and in the rest his support did not dip below 84 percent, according to figures from the Interior Ministry, which oversaw Sunday's election.

The definitive official results of the presidential and parliamentary elections were due to be announced to the press later Monday by the interior ministry. International human rights groups have alleged that campaigning took place in an atmosphere of repression. Bin Ali hit back hours before polling stations opened, saying the vote would be democratic and accusing his opponents of peddling lies.

Many voters in Sunday's election said the president deserved another term because he had made Tunisia into one of the region's most stable and prosperous countries.

Rivals far behind

Bin Ali's little known rivals trailed far behind, with two candidates close to the government, Mohamed Bouchiha and Ahmed Inoubli, averaging less than five percent.

The only real opposition candidate, Ahmed Brahim, came in last.

In the parliamentary election, bin Ali's Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD) party won 161 of the 214 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, with the remaining 53 to be divided proportionally between the competing opposition parties.

Bin Ali, 73, ousted Tunisia's first elected president since independence from France, Habib Bourguiba, for senility in 1987. At every vote since then, his opponents have cried fraud over the staggering scale of bin Ali's win.

In the last elections in 2004, bin Ali was returned to office with 94.4 percent of the vote, while his RCD won an overwhelming majority in parliament.

Bin Ali has established Tunisia as a moderate voice in the Arab world and Western governments view the country as a bulwark against Islamist extremism -- though some have raised questions about its record on democracy.

After ruling the north African country for 22 years, bin Ali faces a difficult economic climate in spite of prudent financial management.

Bin Ali vowed to elevate Tunisia to the rank of developed countries, and he has committed himself during his next mandate to reducing an unemployment rate of 14 percent.

Tunisia is expected to apply to the European Union next year for "advanced status" -- which could give it preferential trade terms and boost its international standing. It does not want criticism over the election to affect its bid.

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