mr. essebsi ahead. they're putting him between -- they think he managed to score between 53% and 58%.any people must be asking around if world right now, why has tunisia managed to succeed? it was the first country that kick started the arab spring, but other countries have so dramatically failed. >> reporter: yes, that is the mlg doll million-dollar question. i think a what a lot of obser r observers will say is that the country has always been committed to dialogue, even at times when it seemed that the political process was about to fail, their senior political leaders, including mr. essebsi, the leader of the key islamist party, actually agreed to sit at a table and come to an agreement and be inclusive. i think that's a very important aspect that needs to be stressed. also, i do think tunisia is quite lucky. it's a small country and dunn have the same sectarian or religious divisions that we have seen in other countries in the arab world. >> mr. ebb ebb is an older man, and tunisia is a country with a very young population. did many of them come out to vote, did they see him perh

mr. essebsi's party and mr. rliament, so they will be running the government here. >> and is it possible to say why tunisia has managed this transition to democracy when ohers have so clearly failed? >> reporter: well, i think that is the million-dollar question. it's the question i've been asking a few observers who have been working here with political parties and with the politicians here. they say one thing that does stand out here in the transition is that people at times when conflict seems to erupt, when there were political assassinations, and the whole process seemed -- it was very close to falling apart. were committed to keep on talking to each other, to meeting first behind closed doors, and then in the proper process. but what they say is that politicians from all sides have been committed to dialogue, committed to talking to each other, committed to moving the country forward, if in very incremental steps. i think that is a very important difference that sets this country apart. i think you should a

mr. essebsi served. as minister of interior he has also served during the revolution and he had some acquisitions in his political career where he did agree. so we have the two, the risk is there, and we've seen behaviors that we thought were forgotten from the police, from the judiciary system. coming back as if we're still under dictatorship. but what we've gained over the last several years is the civil society, a population that is more involved in politics, not willing to give up it's rights. we are journalists and other media players who have gained freedom and possibilities over the last few years. there will be a lot of opposition in case there is a return to dictatorship. hope is there for the new year there is a lot of hope for this country and the region around. >> police in iraq say 12 soldiers have been killed in an attack by isil fighters. the violence is said to have taken place in a town south of fallujah. several people are thought to have been injured. >>> the family of a teenage girl i