Alhurra and Radio Sawa Provide Extensive Coverage of the Tunisian Elections
Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided extensive coverage of the Tunisian elections on Sunday, Oct. 23rd as Tunisians went to the polls for the first election since the Jasmine Revolution. The networks were live from Tunisia when voters turned out to decide on a new constitutional assembly.
Leading up to Election Day, Alhurra had an in-depth interview with Tunisian Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi, who addressed the upcoming election and the role of Islamic parties. Additionally, Alhurra’s Eye on Democracy broadcast its weekly program live from Tunisia to discuss the human rights issues emerging for the country as it looks to build the foundation for a new constitution. The network also had daily updates from Tunisia within its newscasts examining the issues that are resonating with voters.
Alhurra’s coverage on Oct. 23rd, started at 7 a.m. (Tunis time) and continued throughout the day. The network’s daily magazine program Al Youm provided viewers with the latest updates from Tunis and Alhurra’s flagship talk show Free Hour expanded to two hours to recap the day of voting and provide analysis.
In the week leading up to the elections, Radio Sawa reported from Tunisia on topics such as profiles of the leading political parties; the enforcement of legal and security measures on Election Day; the role of international observers and the potential for a free and transparent election in post-revolution Tunisia.
On Oct. 23rd, Radio Sawa expanded its morning newscasts to 15 minutes each. During the day, Radio Sawa’s correspondent in Tunisia went to the three main polling centers in Tunis and in the suburbs to get voter reaction and expectations for the future of Tunisia.
Both Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided their audiences the opportunity to follow election news via the Internet at Radio Sawa’s all-news website. Alhurra and Radio Sawa also tweeted the latest news and reaction from Tunisia.