MBN covers the first round voting in Egyptian elections
Alhurra and Radio Sawa provided extensive coverage of the first round of the Parliamentary elections in Egypt on Oct. 18-19th. These were the first such elections since the previous chamber was dissolved in 2012. Alhurra had special live coverage throughout the day and extended newscasts to get reaction from the polls in Giza, Alexandria and Asyut, as well as interviews with Egyptian political analysts and American experts on Egypt. The network also extended its flagship talk show Free Hour to two hours during which representatives from a variety of political parties in Egypt discussed the lack of voter turnout and what that means for the political process in Egypt.
Alhurra’s coverage featured a variety of reports such as the female voting bloc in Egypt; each candidate’s plan to help the economy and fight unemployment; how the elections might impact U.S./Egyptian relations; the effect of the nationwide ban on Islamic parties; the day-to-day needs of Egyptians and how it impacts their votes; and the role of election observers.
Radio Sawa kept listeners abreast of the Parliamentary elections in Upper Egypt and West Delta through their news reports and interviews with analysts and voters. Sawa Magazine surveyed Egyptians from across the country about the low turnout and what that means for Egyptian politics. Another episode of Sawa Magazine examined how Egyptian candidates are using social media to attract voters.
MBN’s digital properties highlighted the low turn out, early results, potential violations, comments made by politicians, as well as general information about the democratic process, including election law, number of polling stations.
The runoff elections will be held on Oct. 27-28, 2015.