The moderate Islamist Ennahda party has claimed victory in Tunisia's historic elections, after initial results appeared to show it had won the biggest share of the vote.
Sunday's elections were held nine months after dictator Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali was ousted in the popular uprising that triggered the Arab spring.
Ennahda, led by Rachid Ghannouchi, has said it looks to have won 90 of the 217-member assembly.
"The first confirmed results show that Ennahda has obtained first place nationally and in most districts," Abelhamid Jlassi, the party's campaign manager said.
"The priorities for Tunisia are clear. They are stability, conditions for a dignified life and the building of democratic institutions in Tunisia. We are open to anyone who shares these objectives. We are open to all forces without exception," he said.
Tunisia's centre-left PDP party conceded defeat on Monday.
"The trend is clear. The PDP is badly placed. It is the decision of the Tunisian people. I bow before their choice," its leader Maya Jrib said.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised the holding of a peaceful and free election.
“This landmark election constitutes a key step in the democratic transition of the country and a significant development in the overall democratic transformation in North Africa and the Middle East,” he said in a statement.
The vote was also welcomed by the British government. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the elections showed the way for the rest of the Arab world.
"The significance of the first ever elections in Tunisia to take place in a climate of freedom cannot be overstated both for Tunisians and for the wider region," he said on Sunday.
"I have always been clear that the success of the Arab Spring will be judged very heavily by what happens in Tunisia. People look to Tunisia to lead the way, as it did when the Arab Spring began 10 months ago. That is why these elections are so important."
According to some reports the turnout for the election was over 90 per cent.