Tunisia and Egypt after the Arab Spring: Party Politics in Transitions from Authoritarian Rule (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Democratization and Government)

This book examines the processes of transition from authoritarian rule in Tunisia and Egypt between 2011 and 2014, arguing that differences between the two countries can be explained by the conduct of their respective political parties. Drawing on a new conceptualization of political parties agency that considers their unique nature as intermediate and intermediary institutions, the book allows for the identification of those factors driving political parties choices in processes of transition. Moreover, thanks to the employment of quantitative text analysis on the electoral manifestos of the parties involved, this work presents new data for the study of party systems in Tunisia and Egypt. Presenting a new toolkit for analysis, Tunisia and Egypt after the Arab Spring ultimately reveals how differing legacies of authoritarian repression across the two countries can help explain why the Tunisian transition culminated with the 2014 democratic constitution, and the Egyptian transition with the 2013 military coup. Conceptually, the book will appeal to those working in comparative politics and those interested in processes of democratization and authoritarian resilience. Nonetheless, the focus on Tunisia and Egypt makes the book suitable reading for anyone interested in Arab politics and the MENA region generally. Cover Half Title Series Page Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Introduction A True Story A Set of Puzzlements The Argument Contributions References 1 Charting Different Transitions: Tunisia and Egypt Compared Tunisia The ‘Deep State’ Tries to Control the Transition The ‘Tabula Rasa’ Establishing the ‘Rules of the Game’: From the ANC to the National Dialogue Egypt The SCAF Controls the Transition Writing the Constitution: Parliament’s Dialogue of the Deaf From the Intra-Parliamentary to the Inter-Institutional Conflict A Matter of Political Parties? Notes References 2 Demand of Representation, Power Resources, and Parties’ Agency: Political Parties in Transition Processes Locating Political Parties in Transition Processes: Defining Installations The Necessity of Installations Determinants of Installations A Model for Parties’ Agency within Installations Pre-existing Social Divisions Institutional Incentives Choices Parties Define The Invisible hand of Upgraded Autocracies on Parties’ Strategies Previous Opportunity Structures and Transitional Party Advantage Political Learning and Transitional Party Systems’ Polarization References 3 Homogeneous vs. Divided Societies? Analyzing the Demand of Representation 2011–2 Founding Elections: Transitional Challenges Stemming from the Emergence of two Imagined Communities Islamists vs. Secularists and the Need for Pre-constitutional Consensus Why does the Religious Divide Matter? Substance vs. Form Hypothesizing the Origins of the Islamist/Secular Divide and its Consequences for Democratic Installations The Political Sociology Approach Post-Independence State Building Strategies and National Fractures Data Collection, Measures, and Methodology How Divided? Egypt Tunisia The Importance of Organizational Intermediaries Notes References 4 Unfair Patterns of Competition and Transitional Parties’ Power Resources From Leftist Protests to Islamist Dominance: Explaining the Gap of the Founding Elections Blame the Founding Electoral Systems? The Tunisian Electoral System The Egyptian Electoral System The Double Standard: Patterns of Competition between Leftists and Islamists before the Arab Spring Leftist and Islamist Oppositions in Authoritarian Egypt Leftist and Islamist Oppositions in Authoritarian Tunisia Islamists’ Supremacy after the Arab Spring: Organizational Advantages and Reputation Authoritarian Repression and Transitional Parties’ Organizational Advantages Divided Structures of Competition and Transitional Parties’ Reputation Shape and Reasons of the 2011 Electoral gap Awarding Islamist Parties Notes References 5 Authoritarian Learning and Transitional Party Systems’ Politicking The Religious Divide and Polarization Parties Work Out The Pernicious Effects of Polarization within Installations Parties as Countervailing Mechanisms to Polarization? Party Systems Polarization in 2011 Tunisia and Egypt Locating Parties on a Political Space Measuring Polarization in 2011/2012 Tunisia and Egypt A matter of Polarization? Parties’ Structuring Politics: The Importance of the Past Formal Structures, Political Learning, and Polarization Beyond mere Configurational Explanations: Political center and Polarization Divided they Stood, Divided they Failed Coalition-Building in Tunisia Coalition-Building in Egypt Common Destiny of Repression, Incentives for Joining Forces, and the Resolution of the Commitment Problem Notes References Conclusions References Appendix Index