Democratisation in Egypt From A Historical Perspective: Problems, Pitfalls and Prospects

Abstract

History of democratisation in Egypt could as best be dated back to 1970s. But little democratic progress was achieved in Sadat’s and Mubarak’s tenure until the Arap Spring. There are many handicaps before democratisation in Egypt: the elite’s stake in the authoritarian rule, widespread political extremism, structural problems within the political culture of the country in terms of democracy etc. This article ultimately argues that Egyptian democratisation process seems to be a painful and bloody process, but in the long term after the Arab Spring, the clock is ticking in favour of democracy.