This week, the first elections of the Arab Springtook place in Tunisia, the countrywhere the protest movement began.Tunisians, in their first free elections,voted Sunday for an assembly to write a new constitution.The Constituent Assembly also has toappoint a president and form a temporary government.(SOUND)Late in the week, there was violence in Sidi Bouzid,the city where the protestsagainst Tunisia's longtime president began.The violence started after election officialscancelled the results of seatswon by the Popular List party.The officials said there were campaign violations.Official results show that an Islamist party, Ennahda,won more than forty percent of the seats in the assembly.Ennahda has begun talks with other partieson forming a coalition.Party leader Rachid Ghannouchi said Friday that his party would work to form a new governmentin "friendliness" and "brotherhood."(SOUND)Mr. Ghannouchi called for calm.He said his party would respect women's rightsand Tunisia's pro-Western values.The election was widely considered free and fair.Ennahda won three times as many seats as its nearest competitor.A liberal party, the Congress for the Republic,finished second with thirty of the two hundred seventeen seats.Another liberal party, the Democratic Forumfor Labor and Liberties, was third, with twenty-one seats.Tunisia's former government banned Ennahda.The party says its positions are moderateand similar to those of Turkey.Tunisian women have many rights,including the right not to cover their head.Yusra Ghannouchi, a party spokeswomanand daughter of its leader,saysEnnahda will defend and even increase women's rights.YUSRA GHANNOUCHI: "This is the not the state's businessto impose any particular type of dress on women.This is absolutely a matter of personal choice."But some people are worried that the partywill support the rise of political Islam.Eric Goldstein with Human Rights Watch saysEnnahda offers mixed messages.ERIC GOLDSTEIN: "The leaders of the partyhave been reassuring to all Tunisians.No, we're not going to make women wear the veil.No we're not going to ban alcohol.We want to achieve our goals only through democracy.What's making some people anxious is the discourseof some of the mid-ranking members of the party,some of the preachers who preach in a really intolerant way."Still, twenty-nine-year-old bloggerand journalist Haythem el Mekki saysmuch of the worry over Islam is fueled by the West.HAYTHEM EL MEKKI: "The Islamists are political activists.Like any political activists we should criticize themwhen we think they are wrong, and we should saythey did a good thing when we agree with them."Tunisia's revolutionousted President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali in January.Many Tunisians say they are hopeful for the future.Thirty-four-year-old Waesi Adiliis an unemployed computer technician.WAESI ADILI: "I think Tunisia has escaped from the old regime.Hopefully the political system will offer credibility,dignity, tolerance -- and work."The Arab world will be watching Tunisia's democratic experience.Steven Ekovich is a political scientistat the American University of Paris.STEVEN EKOVICH: "The problems are long-term, they're deep.It's going to take a long time for Tunisiato pull out of it. But if any country can do it,I think Tunisia can."And that's IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.