In the runup to the vote, Qalb Tounes and Ennahdha officially ruled out forming an alliance.

Tunisia's established Islamist-inspired party Ennahdha came out on top in legislative polls, winning 52 of the 217 seats, preliminary results showed Wednesday.

The newcomer Qalb Tounes party of business tycoon and presidential candidate Nabil Karoui, who was also freed from jail Wednesday, was in second place with 38 seats.