Tunisia’s ousted leader Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali died in exile in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, days after a free presidential election in his homeland, Reuters reported, citing his family lawyer. “Ben Ali just died in Saudi Arabia,” the lawyer, Mounir Ben Salha, said.
Ben Ali fled Tunisia in January 2011 as his compatriots rose up against his oppressive rule in a revolution that inspired other Arab Spring uprisings abroad. The developments led to a democratic transition in Tunisia.
On Sunday, Tunisians voted in an election that featured candidates from across the political spectrum, sending two political outsiders through to a second round vote.