What drives the electoral support of secular parties in Middle Eastern Countries in the aftermath of the Arab spring? While much research has been devoted to explaining the strength of Islamist parties in post-Arab spring countries, little is known about secular parties and their sources of support. In a new paper, published in the Journal of North African Studies, H. Ege Ozen, Professor of Comparative Politics at the CUNY College of Staten Island, argues that support for secular parties in Tunisia in the 2014 elections is indicative of a Islamist–secularist cleavage among the electorate. Using original survey data, Ozen finds strong support for secular politics among those who voted for the winning secular party. Being opposed to “religious figures in elections, government, or decision-making processes, is positively correlated with the likelihood that [a voter] will vote for a secular party.” (Ozen 2020, 253). This is an important finding because it points to the importance of a dividing line that runs through society and separates voters with secular and Islamist world views. The paper rejects explanations that center around the past performance of political actors as factors for vote choice.