The head of Tunisia's ISIE polling commission on Saturday urged the government not to intervene or risk jeopardising the Arab Spring's first historic vote due to be held Sunday.

"The only organisation that has the authority to issue information about voting is the high commission for elections and no-one else," Kamel Jendoubi told reporters in Tunis.

Jendoubi was reacting to a statement by a foreign ministry official Friday which he said created the impression that the ministry rather than the ISIE "is running the election".

"I would strongly advise the ministry of foreign affairs that it has nothing to do with the election process.

"If any representative of the government intervenes, that could jeopardise the credibility of this election," the election chief added.

He stressed the incident had been "the only exception" in a history of good cooperation with the interim government.

Tunisia's 7.2 million eligible voters have been called to elect a 217-member assembly Sunday that will rewrite the constitution after two decades under the authoritarian regime of Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.

Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia in January, a month into a surprise uprising against poverty, unemployment and corruption.