Tunisia airs first 'great debate' ahead of presidential poll

Days before the first round of Tunisia's presidential election, the fledgling democracy on Saturday began three nights of televised debates between the candidates, a rare event in the Arab world.

The showdown between the 26 hopefuls is seen as the highlight of the campaign and a turning point in Tunisian politics ahead of the September 15 vote.

The North African nation has been praised as a rare success story for democratic transition after the Arab Spring regional uprisings sparked by its 2011 revolution.

Called "The road to Carthage: Tunisia makes its choice", the programme was broadcast on 11 TV channels, two of them public, and about 20 radio stations.

"We won't be able to escape it," said a smiling Belabbes Benkredda, founder of the Munathara Initiative which promotes open debate in the Arab world and helped organise the event.

The first hour-and-a-half debate on Saturday night involved eight of the candidates, including Abdelfattah Mourou of the Islamist-inspired Ennahda party, and passionate secularist Abir Moussi, head of a group with roots in the party of former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.

There was also an empty space for the controversial media mogul Nabil Karoui, currently detained on money laundering charges.

"Tonight I am deprived of my constitutional right to express myself in front of the Tunisian people," Karoui wrote on Twitter.

"They dare to speak of democratic and transparent elections despite the absence of the basic principle of equal opportunities."