AAM's fifth Tunisian town hall on political participation

(Washington DC – March 26, 2012) AAM’s Tunis-based office, called Association Tunisie Media (ATM), broadcast its fifth town hall focusing on issues related to Tunisia’s democratic transition. The event – which broadcast live on our partner station Shems FM in Tunisia and was moderated by host Hamza Balloumi – connected audiences in the coastal city of Gabes and the rural city of Kairouan for direct discussion on citizen participation in the political process.

The discussion examined issues such as the effectiveness of existing political parties and the lack of political engagement among Tunisia’s women and youth. Read a blog post on political participation in Tunisia from Greta Ghacibeh, Directrice, Association Tunisie Media »

Panelists included:

• Kamal El-Hajam is the Mobilization Coordinator from the Ennahda movement. He is also a member of the executive office of Ennahda and he was a member of the the party’s Shura Council. He spent 16 years in jail during the former regime.
• Nahla Ben Khalifa is the Youth and Women Coordinator at the Progressive Democratic Party (PDP). PDP is one of the few opposition parties that existed during the Ben Ali regime. It is a leftist progressive party that lost in the October 23rd elections.
• Nasreddine Ben Hdid is a journalist on Nessma TV’s political debates and news hour. He is a centrist known for his objective and academically backed opinions.

The town hall format provides a unique forum for citizens to directly engage one another and a panel of experts on topics that impact their lives.

ATM will continue to partner with local Tunisian television and radio stations to produce timely and engaging discussions on issues affecting Tunisians during their historic democratic transition. Learn more about ATM »