- Türkiye Ortadoğu Çalışmaları Dergisi
- Vol: 9 Issue: 2
- What makes democracy possible? Transitions in Egypt and Tunisia after the Arab Uprisings
What makes democracy possible? Transitions in Egypt and Tunisia after the Arab Uprisings
Authors : Osman Sahin
Pages : 167-206
Doi:10.26513/tocd.969305
View : 12 | Download : 1
Publication Date : 2023-01-06
Article Type : Research
Abstract :This article studies Egyptian and Tunisian transitions by investigating the effect of two factors; namely electoral system choice and the presence of competitive opposition parties. It suggests that electoral system choice and the presence of competitive political parties contributed to the transition to democracy in Tunisia while the same two factors were causes of the failed transition in Egypt. It concludes by arguing that during transitional phases, electoral system choice and presence of competitive political parties help institutionalization of normal, limited political uncertainty in a polity. Accordingly, these two factors compel cooperation and negotiation between different political actors, which in turn help democracy to survive transitions.Keywords : democratization, Egypt, Tunisia, electoral system, political parties