Ennahada leader Rachid Ghanouchi, at a press conference in June. NEW: Preliminary results announced for five districtsTunisia recently held its first free elections in modern historyA moderate Islamist party appears to have wonEnnahada may form a coalition with two other parties
Tunis, Tunisia (CNN) -- Official results have yet to be published, but preliminary returns appear to show that the once-banned moderate Islamist party Ennahada has won Tunisia's historic elections, according to several political parties and Tunisian media outlets.
The front page of El Maghreb newspaper showed a giant photo of Ennahada leader Rachid Ghanouchi next to a saluting member of the presidential guard, with the caption "Ennahada close to the government?"
Meanwhile, the French-language daily Le Temps depicted a presidential throne on a pillar carrying the Ennahada logo, followed by smaller chairs atop two smaller columns labeled with the secular parties Congres pour la Republique [CPR] and Ettakatol.
Boubaker Bethabet, secretary-general of the Independent High Authority for the Election, told reporters at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that preliminary results were available for five districts. Of the 39 seats available in those districts, Ennahada took 15 of them. CPR took six seats, and Ettakatol took four. Those results still must be approved, he said.
Representatives from all three parties told CNN their own preliminary results show that Ennahada captured first place, followed by CPR and Ettakatol. The parties were already looking forward to the possibility of establishing a governing coalition in the future 217-seat Constituent Assembly.
"It's possible... I hope we can put a coalition of this type together," said CPR leader Montsuf Marzouki, when asked about the possibility of establishing a coalition of the three apparent front-runners.
Marzouki said Tunisians had demonstrated in the country's first free election in modern history their vision for the future of the country.
"Tunisians want centrist politics," he said. "They want an Arab-Muslim identity (Ennahada) and also democracy and human rights represented by the two parties CPR and Ettakatol," Marzouki added.
The vote was historic not only in Tunisia -- which, until now, hadn't had a national election since it became independent in 1956 and was ruled until January for 23 years by Zine El Abidine Ben Ali -- but also in the region and the world. Since Ali was ousted in January -- a month after 26-year-old street vendor Muhammad Al Bouazizi set himself afire after a police officer seized his goods -- residents in several other Arab nations have similarly rallied for democratic reforms and against their leaders, many of whom have been in power for decades and allowed little dissent.
Mohamed Kamez Jendoubi, the head of the country's election commission, said Monday that more than 80% of the North African nation's registered voters cast ballots Sunday. According to Tunisia Afrique Presse, 4,100,812 people registered to vote prior to the election in a country of more than 10 million. But Jendoubi said many unregistered voters -- "mostly youth and women" -- showed up Sunday for last-minute registration.
As early as Monday night, top Ennahada party officials were already celebrating CPR and Ettakatol's expected second and third place finishes in the vote count.
"We're happy that the second and third party are serious parties that never resorted to scare tactics," said Moadh Kheriji, Ghanouchi's chief of staff.
But the rise of a party closely identified with Islam sounded alarm bells for Tunisian secularists.
Tuesday afternoon, a group of about 200 protesters gathered outside the headquarters of Tunisia's electoral commission to denounce the expected Ennahada victory.
Some carried signs saying "No to fraud."
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