Ben Ali's party won 161 of the 214 parliament seats
Tunisian President re-elected with 89.62 percent of election vote for fifth term in office.
TUNIS - Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was re-elected with 89.62 percent of the vote in Sunday's elections for a fifth term in office after two decades in power, according to final results released Monday by the interior ministry.
The results from all of the north African country's 26 constituencies showed Ben Ali's score ranging from 84.16 to 93.88 percent of the vote. But he did even better among overseas voters who gave him a whopping 94.85 percent.
Ben Ali's little known rivals trailed far behind, with two candidates close to the government, Mohamed Bouchiha and Ahmed Inoubli, getting around five and 3.8 percent respectively.
The other opposition candidate, Ahmed Brahim, came in last with 1.57 percent of the vote.
In the parliamentary election, Ben 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 six of the eight competing parties.
Ben Ali, 73, has won every vote after taking power 1987.
In the last elections in 2004, Ben Ali was returned to office with 94.4 percent of the vote, while his RCD won an overwhelming majority in parliament.
Ben 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 has been commended for its "solid economic foundations" and "real efforts at modernisation" by the International Monetary Fund.
Ben Ali's his 24-point policy programme includes a promise to improve press freedom.
"I voted for Ben Ali because I believe he has saved Tunisia from instability ... Freedom isn't all that it could be, but you have to pay a price for stability," said Kmar, a 53-year-old French teacher.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy telephoned Ben Ali to congratulate him on his victory, Tunisian state news agency TAP reported.
"The French president expressed his satisfaction at the excellent relations between France and Tunisia and his country's willingness to raise the two countries' partnership to a new level," the agency said.
Foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said Tunisia could rely on French support as it undertakes social, economic and political reform.
Congratulations for Ben Ali also came in from other north African leaders including Moamer Gathafi of Libya, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, TAP said.
The Moroccan king sent Ben Ali a message saying the election result showed the high regard Tunisia's people had for their leader.
"I am sure we will continue to work together to strengthen and extend the bonds of cooperation and solidarity between our two countries, for the benefit of our peoples," the message read.
