Both were seen as outsiders going into  last Sunday’s election were the anti-system result reflects voters rejection of the political status quo.

The results announced yesterday shocked political establishment including Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and former interim President Moncef Marzouki.

Moderate Islamist Abdelfattah Mourou was in third place.

Kaïs Saïed won 18,4 percent of the vote ahead of jailed media mogul Nabil Karoui who got 15,6 percent.

The electoral authority has not named a date for next month’s run-off which will follow legislative elections.

Saïed’s fierce independence and strong anti-corruption platform struck a note with voters looking to replace President Bejii Caid Essebsi who died in July.  

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The 88-year-old served as advisor to Habib Bourgiba and then as Interior and Foreign Ministers to Ben Ali who was ousted in the Arab Spring nearly five years ago.

Beji Caid Essebi has also been Tunisia’s parliamentary speaker.

His win with more than 55 percent of the popular vote follows the North African country’s first election that was not a foregone conclusion.

It caps Tunisia’s transition to democracy.

Essebi beat incumbent Moncef Marzouki in a run off.

After police used teargas to disperse demonstrators in the capital Tunis, Essebi went on television to say the country’s future lies in consensus.

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