Ennahda
The Islamist party banned under the former regime makes no reference in its election programme to Islamic Sharia law, which its leader Rached Ghannouchi propagated in the 1970's as a way of addressing societal "depravation".
Instead, the document cites "moderate Islam" as its reference point, and commits the party to respecting religious and minority freedoms.
It guarantees women's equal right to work and vote and vows to "oppose any compulsion to adopt a specific pattern of dress."
It also seeks to allow women "to contribute to the development of society, free from the obstructions of decadence".
Vowing to tackle corruption, the party supports a republican system of government with a one-chamber parliament that will elect a president for a five-year term, renewable once.
Ennahda promises social housing, broader access to health care, bigger social grants and a higher minimum wage.
It undertakes to respect international conventions and seek closer tie with the European Union.
On the economy, Ennahda pledges to create 590,000 jobs and reduce the unemployment rate to 8.5 percent by 2016 from the current 19 percent.
It wants an economic growth rate of eight percent (compared to minus 3 percent in the first quarter of 2011), partly through promoting tourism.
The Congress for the Republic (CPR)
Under the leadership of Moncef Marzouki, the previously-banned leftist, nationalist party promises a socialist approach: stronger control over the banks, a redistribution of wealth, the creation of agricultural cooperatives and lower VAT.
It seeks a stronger role for the state in the economy, while guaranteeing an independent judiciary, the protection of civil liberties and gender equality.
It supports the Palestinian cause and promotes a fight against "savage globalisation" in favour of "just and equal development".
Like all other parties on the left, it supports a system of government in which both the president and parliament are directly elected.
Ettakatol
Led by Mustapha Ben Jaafar, who has declared his presidential ambitions, the party seeks a stronger regulatory role for the state. It promises the creation of 100,000 jobs in 2012-13, partly through expanded public works programmes.
It has prioritised the eradication of regional differences between cities on the coast and the poorer, inland areas long overlooked for investment by the state.
Modernist Democratic Pole (PDM) and Democratic Progressive Party (PDP)
The PDM, a coalition of five leftist parties, and the PDP founded by Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, are likely to form a common bloc of democratic liberals.
Defenders of free expression and secularism, they have promised vigilance against any attempt to diminish civil liberties and minority rights.
The PDP proposes a "modern vision of Islam" and wants an education system that will "purge" society of "obscure and oppressive practices".
The parties seek to boost economic growth by stimulating foreign investment.
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