Saied, 66, is expected to win by a landslide, routing his challengers -- imprisoned rival Ayachi Zammel, who was set to collect 6.9 percent of the vote, and Zouhair Maghzaoui, with 3.9 percent, said independent polling group Sigma Conseil.

Three years after Saied staged a sweeping power grab, rights groups fear re-election will only further entrench his rule in the country, which became the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring uprisings.

With the ouster of longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011, Tunisia prided itself on being the birthplace of those regional revolts against authoritarianism.

But the north African country's path changed dramatically soon after Saied's election in 2019.

The Tunisian electoral board, ISIE, has said about 9.7 million people were eligible to vote, in a country whose population is around 12 million.

Only 27.7 percent of voters turned out to cast their ballots, it said. Over 58 percent were men, and 65 percent aged between 36 and 60.

ISIE had barred 14 candidates from joining the race, citing insufficient endorsements, among other technicalities.

The board is set to announce the official election results on Monday.

This year's turnout figure compared to 45 percent in 2019 and is the lowest the country has recorded in a presidential vote since its 2011 revolution.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online.