The New Arab Bills of Rights: a Study on the Constitutions of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia

Abstract

This article analyses the changes effected by the new constitutional bills of rights of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. In the Introduction, the conceptual and empirical framework is presented, enunciating four descriptive hypotheses: (1) the new Arab bills of rights are longer and denser, (2) they take up the most recent catalogues of rights as expressed in the globalized constitutional models, (3) they recognize the international human rights law as a binding legal category, and (4) they grant a special importance to women, children and minorities’ rights. The testing of these hypotheses, by means of a descriptive statistical analysis and the study of the novelties introduced, constitutes the second section. The third section analyzes the evolution and functional rationale of these new constitutional provisions. Finally, a conclusion is provided, arguing that the new Arab bills of rights are situated within globalized constitutional trends, adjusted with certain regional particularities.