1 The Tunisian election result isn’t simply a victory for secularism over Islamism Monica Marks The battle between Nidaa Tounes and Ennahda is more complex than enlightened secularists versus backwards Islamists ‘Nidaa Tounes, founded by Beji Caid Essebsi (pictured), is described even by members of its executive bureau as a patchwork of political tendencies.’ Photograph: Mohamed Messara/EPA The Guardian Wednesday 29 October 2014 11.27 GMT A self-styled secular, modernist party called Nidaa Tounes won against the Islamist Ennahda party in the Tunisian election this week. For many, the subsequent headline – “Secularist party wins Tunisia elections” – will seem more impressive than the fact Tunisia just completed its second genuinely competitive, peaceful elections since 2011. Indeed, in a region wracked by extremism and civil war, the secularists’ victory will strike many as further proof that Tunisia is moving forward and is the sole bright spot in a gloomy region. Some may prematurely celebrate, yet again, the death of political Islam, arguing that Tunisians achieved through the ballot box what Egyptians achieved through a popular coup, rejecting the Brotherhood and its cousin-like movements once and for all. We should exercise caution, however, in labelling Nidaa Tounes’s victory part of a seamless sweep of democratic achievements, or seeing Sunday’s vote as a clear referendum against all varieties of political Islam. Despite feeling kinship with the party because of its secular label, westerners understand surprisingly little about Nidaa Tounes, mainly because they’ve