Tunisians were voting on Saturday to elect a new parliament in polls dismissed as a sham by the opposition. The election comes after months of political turmoil and economic hardship in Tunisia, the birthplace of the 2010-11 Arab Spring revolts. Around 500,000 out of Tunisia’s registered voters of nearly 9.2 million cast their ballots by 1 pm (1200 GMT), according to the deputy head of the election commission Maher Jedidi. Polling stations in the North African country opened at 8 am (0700 GMT) and are to close at 6 pm. In March, Tunisian President Kais Saied dissolved parliament, part of a str…