First democratic local elections trigger an intensive period of party-building, as existing parties incorporate new cadres. These elections can make dominant parties either more open and diverse organizations or push them under further control of the incumbent central elites, depending on the cost-benefit calculations of the latter. This paper seeks to document which strategies have been adopted by the Tunisian parties in the first democratic local elections of the country after the collapse of the authoritarian regime in 2011, focusing on the main Islamist (Ennahdha) and secular party (Nidaa Tounes) of the country. Using data from an original survey of more than 1900 candidates, interviews with party officials in seven municipalities, and existing survey data, I show that upper-middle-class professionals, the core constituency of secular-modernist parties in the Middle East, are in a process of disengagement from party politics. Meanwhile, the Islamist party is implementing successful strategies to incorporate more segments of this class to its ranks. The implications of these trends for the future of the party system in Tunisia are also discussed.