Electoral Process in Arab Countries (2011–2021): Specifics, Results, Political Activity and the Role of Youth

Abstract

After 2011, the intra-political struggle in the Arab countries continues to evolve amidst the competition between and mutual influence of Islamism (fundamentalism) and nationalism (liberalism), yet in the midst of a crisis of both, when parties based on one of these two ideologies are no longer able to offer their voters concrete programmes of socio-political modernisation and overcoming the economic crisis. In terms of ideology, different parties use identical slogans in their election campaigns, exploiting the reformist strategy and arguments, seeking to expand their social base in the absence of public consensus. New constitutions and electoral laws adopted after 2011 have transferred this struggle into a legal frame, creating conditions for political competition. The elections really became a multi-party event and allowed Islamic parties to participate in the political process along with secular parties. Exactly these parties became the main rivals in the electoral process of the last decade, which demonstrated that the implementation of the constitutional plan in practice is an ambiguous task, and society (despite the establishment of a new system of legal arrangements) continues to be split and cannot give preference to any ideology and the forces representing such ideologies. The “external factor” contributed to the strengthening of Islamic parties in the first electoral cycle after the “Arab Spring”, however, later the preference was given to secular parties. Young people, having actively shown themselves in the unrest of 2011, lost interest in political life, which is evidenced by the fall in voter turnout in the second and third electoral cycles. Dynamics and results of the electoral process in 2011–2021 demonstrate a specific type of constitutional crises in a traditional society facing the need for modernization. The electoral process is studied on the basis of the analysis of new electoral laws and the results of parliamentary elections in the Arab countries during the study period, which, together with research works, gives a better understanding of their modern political development.