The independent presidential candidate Kais Saied tops the first round of voting with 18.8 percent, according to official results after counting 48 percent of the vote on Monday.

The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) announced on Monday afternoon that the leader of the "Heart of Tunisia" party, Nabil Karoui, came second with 15.4 percent of the vote.

Karoui was remanded in custody on August 23 for suspected involvement in money laundering and tax evasion upon a report that dates back to 2016.

Abdelfattah Mourou, the candidate fielded by Ennahda party, was ranked third with 13.2 percent of the vote.

Tunisia held presidential election on Sunday while the preliminary official results would be announced by the ISIE on Tuesday.

Turnout during the first round of the balloting was up to 45.02 percent.