<p>Tunisia's presidential candidate Nabil Karoui received a hero's welcome as he walked free from jail Wednesday, just days ahead of a runoff against a political newcomer.</p>.<p>Karoui's release is the latest twist in a shock election dominated by political outsiders in the country whose 2011 revolution sparked a wave of regional uprisings.</p>.<p>His return to the arena as a free man comes at a time of uncertainty for the country hailed as the sole democratic success story of the Arab Spring.</p>.<p>An AFP journalist outside Mornaguia prison near Tunis saw a throng of media mogul Karoui's supporters waving Tunisia's red-and-white flag and campaign banners as they jubilantly cheered for him.</p>.<p>An elated Karoui then left the scene in a black Mercedes, without speaking to the press.</p>.<p>The Court of Cassation's decision to free Karoui, a business tycoon who has been detained since August over a money-laundering probe, comes ahead of Sunday's final presidential vote.</p>.<p>Despite being behind bars, he won 15.6 per cent of votes in the first round of the presidential poll.</p>.<p>The runoff comes as Tunisia appears poised for complex, rowdy negotiations to form a government.</p>.<p>Announced shortly after Karoui's release, preliminary results of last Sunday's legislative election showed Islamist-inspired party Ennahda came out on top with 52 out of 217 seats -- far short of the 109 needed to govern.</p>.<p>Karoui's Qalb Tounes party placed second with 38 seats.</p>.<p>In the run-up to the parliamentary poll, Ennahda and Qalb Toues had officially ruled out forming an alliance.</p>.<p>The abstention rate was 58.6 per cent, nearly double that of the last legislative polls in 2014, despite the post-revolution constitution putting parliament at the heart of political power.</p>.<p>TV pundits contend that the high abstention rate is not only a mark of voter apathy but also a repudiation of the parties taking part.</p>.<p> It was a similar sense of rejection of the establishment that catapulted political newcomers Karoui and rival contender conservative law professor Kais Saeid to the lead in the September 15 presidential first round.</p>.<p>The sidelining of Tunisia's post-Arab Spring political class in the vote was rooted in frustration over a stagnant economy, high unemployment, failing public services and rising prices.</p>.<p>While the country has succeeded in curbing jihadist attacks that rocked the key tourist sector in 2015, its economy remains hampered by austere International Monetary Fund-backed reforms.</p>.<p>Saied had announced last weekend he was quitting campaigning in order to avoid an unfair advantage over Karoui.</p>.<p>With the contenders now free to campaign on a level playing field, the pair will face off in a televised debate Friday, one of the organisers told AFP.</p>.<p>The debate is expected to begin at 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) should Karoui confirm his presence, national television channel Wataniya said.</p>.<p>Wataniya has also invited Karoui for an on-screen interview Thursday.</p>.<p>Previous requests to release Karoui had been turned down and he has branded his arrest as "political".</p>.<p>Karoui's lawyer Kamel Ben Messoud on Wednesday said the Court of Cassation had "annulled the detention order" against his client.</p>.<p>Another of his lawyers, Nazih Souei, said Karoui remains under investigation, "but he is free".</p>
<p>Tunisia's presidential candidate Nabil Karoui received a hero's welcome as he walked free from jail Wednesday, just days ahead of a runoff against a political newcomer.</p>.<p>Karoui's release is the latest twist in a shock election dominated by political outsiders in the country whose 2011 revolution sparked a wave of regional uprisings.</p>.<p>His return to the arena as a free man comes at a time of uncertainty for the country hailed as the sole democratic success story of the Arab Spring.</p>.<p>An AFP journalist outside Mornaguia prison near Tunis saw a throng of media mogul Karoui's supporters waving Tunisia's red-and-white flag and campaign banners as they jubilantly cheered for him.</p>.<p>An elated Karoui then left the scene in a black Mercedes, without speaking to the press.</p>.<p>The Court of Cassation's decision to free Karoui, a business tycoon who has been detained since August over a money-laundering probe, comes ahead of Sunday's final presidential vote.</p>.<p>Despite being behind bars, he won 15.6 per cent of votes in the first round of the presidential poll.</p>.<p>The runoff comes as Tunisia appears poised for complex, rowdy negotiations to form a government.</p>.<p>Announced shortly after Karoui's release, preliminary results of last Sunday's legislative election showed Islamist-inspired party Ennahda came out on top with 52 out of 217 seats -- far short of the 109 needed to govern.</p>.<p>Karoui's Qalb Tounes party placed second with 38 seats.</p>.<p>In the run-up to the parliamentary poll, Ennahda and Qalb Toues had officially ruled out forming an alliance.</p>.<p>The abstention rate was 58.6 per cent, nearly double that of the last legislative polls in 2014, despite the post-revolution constitution putting parliament at the heart of political power.</p>.<p>TV pundits contend that the high abstention rate is not only a mark of voter apathy but also a repudiation of the parties taking part.</p>.<p> It was a similar sense of rejection of the establishment that catapulted political newcomers Karoui and rival contender conservative law professor Kais Saeid to the lead in the September 15 presidential first round.</p>.<p>The sidelining of Tunisia's post-Arab Spring political class in the vote was rooted in frustration over a stagnant economy, high unemployment, failing public services and rising prices.</p>.<p>While the country has succeeded in curbing jihadist attacks that rocked the key tourist sector in 2015, its economy remains hampered by austere International Monetary Fund-backed reforms.</p>.<p>Saied had announced last weekend he was quitting campaigning in order to avoid an unfair advantage over Karoui.</p>.<p>With the contenders now free to campaign on a level playing field, the pair will face off in a televised debate Friday, one of the organisers told AFP.</p>.<p>The debate is expected to begin at 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) should Karoui confirm his presence, national television channel Wataniya said.</p>.<p>Wataniya has also invited Karoui for an on-screen interview Thursday.</p>.<p>Previous requests to release Karoui had been turned down and he has branded his arrest as "political".</p>.<p>Karoui's lawyer Kamel Ben Messoud on Wednesday said the Court of Cassation had "annulled the detention order" against his client.</p>.<p>Another of his lawyers, Nazih Souei, said Karoui remains under investigation, "but he is free".</p>