After two decades in power, Tunisians re-elected President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali on October 25th for his fifth term in office with 89.62 percent of the votes, reports Al-Arabiya. There were three other candidates in this presidential election, two of which have close ties to the government, and only one legitimate opposition candidate, Ahmed Brahim, who came in last place.

Many voters credit the president with steering Tunisia towards economic growth and stability in a region where other countries suffer from poverty and political turmoil, reports The Associated Press.

"It is a matter of pride that the results have confirmed the people's support for President Ben Ali and their trust in him," said Interior Minister Rafik Bel Haj Kacem. "He is the savior of our country," said 50-year-old Tunisian citizen Nejia Azouzi to Reuters as she cast her ballot in the capital.

According to Human Rights Watch, the elections took place in an "atmosphere of repression," with tight government control. The organization claims that "tailor-made laws" stood in the way of some of the stronger opposition parties and exerted constraints on freedom of expression and press, which prevented these challengers from making their case public.

Sarah Leah Whitson, the Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, notes that "even if everything is squeaky clean on voting day, elections will be free and fair in Tunisia only when the authorities stop muzzling opposition candidates, journalists, and dissidents."

Despite these accusations, President Ben Ali insists that his government has "endeavored to provide for these elections all the guarantees of transparency and honesty," and that some people are deliberately trying to damage Tunisia's image. "The law will be applied...with rigor against anyone who spreads doubts or accusations about the integrity of the electoral process without providing hard proof," Ben Ali said.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) declared that a series of recent attacks and harassment suggested deliberate targeting of independent journalism in Tunisia, reports the Index of Censorship. In the few weeks prior to the elections, several journalists and bloggers were physically assaulted or arrested, foreign and local reporters were expelled from or denied entry and departure from Tunisia, some books and shows were banned, and newspapers and radio stations were raided by the police.

"We no longer have the right to express our views in Tunisia," said Hamma Hammami's wife, an editor who was beaten by the police after criticizing the government in an interview for Al-Jazeera. "When we dare to criticize the regime in the foreign media, we are punished by being physically attacked. This is now standard practice. They no longer need to throw people in prison."

The head of information for Ahmed Brahim's Ettajdid opposition party told Reporters Without Borders that the interior minister confiscated the party newspaper Al-Tariq Al-Jadid for supposedly breaching electoral media rules.

Similarly, the content of several news sources, such as the dailies As-Sabah and Le Temp, which are owned by the president's son-in-law, gave no space to the opposition candidates, devoted more pages to cover the Head of State's election program and sang praises for his campaign.

Reporters Without Borders reported that the election campaign did nothing to change web censorship in Tunisia by the "cyber police," as they ranked Tunisia 154 out of 175 countries in the organization's 2009 world press freedom rankings. The group condemned the attitude of the Tunisian authorities who prevented Tunisian journalists and foreign correspondents from doing their work.

"The police presence was permanent during this electoral period. Opposition activists, independent journalists, human rights defenders and pro-democracy activists were closely watched," said Jean-François Julliard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders.

While human-rights groups have made several allegations of abuse against Tunisia following the latest elections, Al-Arabiya reports that the government is sensitive about foreign criticism of the vote because it is expected to apply to the European Union next year for an "advanced status," which could give it preferential trade terms and boost its international standing.