Political Change in North Africa and the Arab Middle East: Constitutional Reforms and Electoral Processes

Inmaculada Szmolka Inmaculada Szmolka

doi:10.13169/arabstudquar.36.2.0128

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine, from a comparative focus, the processes of political change, which have come about as a result of the revolutions and upheavals in North Africa and the Arab Middle East countries since December 2010. Previous experiences have shown that democracies tend to emerge in waves. Nevertheless, our hypothesis is that we cannot generalize by referring to a new wave of democratization in this region, but rather, we need to focus on processes of change of a different political nature (the establishment of democracy, political liberalization, and in some cases, the immobility of authoritarian regimes). In this research, we describe the constitutional and legal reforms, and the elections held to date. Finally, we evaluate the scope of these processes and assess their impact on the nature of political regimes in the Arab world.

Highlights

The aim of this study is to examine, from a comparative focus, the processes of political change, which have come about as a result of the revolutions and upheavals in North Africa and the Arab Middle East countries since December 2010
In the wake of the protests, uprisings, and revolutions that have taken place in the Arab world, different political processes are under way which make us wonder if we are facing a fifth wave of democratizations
In the wake of the revolts and revolutions that have taken place in the Arab world, different political processes are under way which make us wonder if we are facing a fifth wave of democratizations

Summary

Introduction

The aim of this study is to examine, from a comparative focus, the processes of political change, which have come about as a result of the revolutions and upheavals in North Africa and the Arab Middle East countries since December 2010. We believe that, if we are to be precise in the expression of our concept, we should define it as the fifth wave of political change.1 In this way, we will be able to distinguish the true nature of the transformations that have come about in Arab regimes: the establishment of democracy, the reform of the political system, or even the immobility of authoritarian regimes. Many of these countries were hybrid regimes, which combine elements of democracy—such as representative institutions, elections, or constitutionalism—with the practice of certain types of authoritarian or non-democratic power (Szmolka Vida, 2010a, 2011)

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