he is the chairman of the secular leader nidaa tounes party which won the object elections. second is the current interim president moncf marzouki, in power since the ousting of former president zine el abidine ben ali in 2011. nazanine moshiri joins me from tunis. a lot of people are waiting patiently to vote. this is a big moment for many tunisians. >> it is a big moment. i can show you that people have brought their children with them, too young to vote. as an example of what this moment means to the father, the family - you can see there's a mixture here. there is hope that young people will turn out in the election. most people we see here are older. i can speak to, despite your age, it's the first time you voted in a presidential election. >> yes, right. >> why is that? >> because it was - it was worthless to vote in the past. voting was not - was not managed properly. that was big games and that's it. >> how are you feeling right now? >> very excited and highly optimistic about the future. >> but there are a lot of people who are concerned. economy problems, security

he is head of the secular nidaa tounes party that won elections in october. his closest rival is the counter president moncf marzouki, he's been in charge since the ousting of president zine el abidine ben ali. >> reporter: this is an historic moment for many tunisians. i've spoken to some people in the cue. many are voting for the first time ever. let's show you what is happening here. >> you can see that the protest is being monitored, taken seriously. because, of course tunisians didn't have a choice, they had a party that many were forced to vote for. >> maybe they are used as a successful model in the arab brings. this is what the people came out to fight for. they don't have the economic and social solutions to their problems. >> still to come - china plans to transform a city into the shanghai of central asia. muslim values - are they being demolished >>> and a potential witness in the philippines has been shot. thanksgiving day marathon. on al jazeera america. >>> welcome back. let's recap the headlines. monday's deadline for a deal on the nuclear pro

ahead in the poll is beji caid essebsi, the chairman of the secular nidaa tounes party, which won the object election. and his opponent is moncf marzouki. who has been in power since the ousting of zine el abidine ben ali in 2011. let's go nazanine moshiri in tunisia. i know you have been queueing up for those behind you. what are their hopes for the election? >> well, many of the people here that i have spoken to are voting for the first time in a presidential election for 23 years. they suffered under what was a dictator this. they had one choice, and only one. let's speak to one of the voters here, waiting for the first time. what is your name, sir: how are you feeling today. >> i'm well, happy. i see that i have to do that because no one say it is the election. we give a chance for tort be president. >> there are many problems aren't there? there's always problems in countries. to do, to go out of problems, we have to do something. and to do something. we have to do the best in the best position. we have to do it. can i ask you an aid. i don't mind. i am sure that the thing we lov

he is the leader of the secular nidaa tounes party, which won the county elections in october. his closest rival is the current interim president moncf marzouki. and he has been in charge since the outing of former president zine el abidine ben ali. nazanine moshiri joins us live from the capital tunis. hugely a significant moment for tunisians. how is the front runner suggesting and what has he been saying? >> yes, he did vote here at the polling station. he was surrounded by the media. he really is the focus of the election at the moment for many tunisians. he believes that he will be able to get the most votes in the presidential election. he says he has confidence in the will of the tunisian people. he tried in a past to separate that secularism from his party saying the party is muslim. it is a muslim party, and don't believe in the label of a segular leader, he can make a deal, talk to the islamic party, and maybe there's a small chance that they may rule in coalition in the future. >> his party won in the october parliamentary elections. if he wins the presidency, are pe

there is the secular camp that backs beji caid essebsi and the nidaa tounes party. it needs to bring on board other parties to form a new government. and there is the camp of the president and some of the revolutionary youth. but it is thought to have the bagging of the conservative party, which came second in the general polls. this camp fears the return of members of the former regime and his party controls the government. however, there is talk among all political leaders that there could be a way out by forming a government of national unity. the second round of voting will be held in december. it will be up to the main political parties and their ability to compromise to end the polarization and end uncertainty. >> in egypt a police officer has been killed in a blast in the sinai peninsula. the armoured vehicle he was travelling in was deliberately targeted. some areas had been deliberately targeted. >> al jazeera continues to demand the release of our three journalists who have been imprisoned for 331 days. peter greste, mohamed fadel fahmy and baher mohamed w

. >> reporter: last month his party nidaa tounes won a majority in parliament. there are fears that if it takes the presidency, there'll be a concentration of power in the hands of one man. >> we need a new broad, stronger, we need to go ahead and not to have someone and people that throw you behind. >> reporter: the current president moncf marzouki also has a chance for victory. some believe he was a backing of the second biggest party in the country. it does not have a candidate. this man may surprise everyone. he is a business dyke on appealing to some, looking for a solution to economic problems. campaigners say at the heart of the problems is inequality. i believe the problem of creating job opportunities, decent working opportunities for women affected by the lack of job opportunities, this needs to be addressed, inequalities between the region, the coast, need to be addressed. there's so much at stake in this election. many people here are proud of what this tiny country has achieved. they also understand the transition to democracy is not over yet. >> tu

. >> reporter: last month his party nidaa tounes won the majority. there are fears if it takes the presidency there'll be a concentration of power in the hands of one man. >> we need a new brood, we need stronger, to go ahead and not have someone, people who tell you, dragging you behind. >> reporter: the current president moncf marzouki has a chance for victory. some think he has the backing of the second biggest party in the country. it doesn't have a candidate running for president. and this man by surprise everyone, a business tycoon who appeals to some young people looking for a solution to their economic problems. campaigners say at the heart of tunisia's problems is inequality. >> i believe the problem of creating job opportunities, decent working opportunities for people, women, that are most affected by the lack of job opportunities, it needs to be addressed. the regions need to be addressed. >> there's so much at stake in this election. many are proud of what this country achieved. they understand the transition to democracy is not over yet