Papers and studies Archives - Page 7 of 9 - Arab Forum for Alternatives

Kholoud KhaledKholoud Khaled describes the holding of elections as one of the most important stepping stones following the ouster of Former President Muhammed Hosni Mubarak. The most vital aspect of a successful elections process includes complete transparency, lack of bias and guarantees the effective transfer of power. While the terms oversight and supervision have been used interchangeably, most controversially in the parliamentary elections of 2011, to signify the regulation of the electoral process, the two words actually mean two different things. Oversight of an election is a process that can be split into two long-term phases and a short-term one.…

Egypt& the E.U. Normalization or Crisis?

8 December، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Nathalie TocciEgypt heading towards normalization The Egyptian regime is determined to signal its credibility to the West. Its government, specifically as far as economic policy is concerned, is composed of the best technocrats the country can boast.The paying off of the 25% in arrears, owed to predominantly European, international energy companies, will commence by the end of this year. This is a meagre start, given that the 25% would merely revert the situation to what it was in July 2013 rather than improve beyond it. However, it does signal the Egyptian regime’s credibility,a gradually normalizing domestic situation, and a commitment…

Reforming the Police: How and Why؟

4 April، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Rabha SeifPolice brutality was on the main issues that the 25th of January Revolution shed light on, and reforming the police force would be accomplishing on the main demands of the revolution. Not only would it greatly improve the security situation in such a detrimental time, but it would also change the institutional and cultural framework of the police, fostering a sense of respect for constitutional values and human rights. Reforming a police force is a gradual, multi-layered and time-consuming process. Some states have even opted to simply remove the entire existing force and corresponding institutions and reconstruct them. One…

Foreign Funding in Egypt after the Revolution

4 April، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Mohamed ElAgatiBy Mohamed Elagati (03/04/2013) Working Paper fride In the aftermath of Egypt’s revolution, controversies over foreign funding to Egyptian civil society organisations (CSO) have become even more politicised. This has resulted in the prosecution of a number of international and Egyptian NGO workers. Because CSOs are a critical part of the democratic transition, the Egyptian public needs to engage in a transparent debate over the role of foreign funding. As a part of that process, this paper, based on a series of meetings carried out with local stakeholders in Cairo, examines the framework and the perception of foreign funding…

Egypt’s Revolutionary Youth. From Street Politics to Party Politics

30 March، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Nadine Abd allaNadine Abdalla SWP Comments 2013/C 11, March 2013, 8 Pages The youth movement that led Egypt’s 25 January 2011 revolution is far from being demobilized today. It is currently undergoing an institutionalization process as several new political parties representing the youth are being founded. Indeed, political empowerment and inclusion of the youth in the democratic process are important for the success of the current transitional process. No less important would be for them to find a balance between street politics and conventional politics. Only then could the youth present a viable political force that is strong enough to effectively…

Parliament and the New Egyptian Constitution.. Executive Summary and Background

28 March، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Adam Cygan ,Ali FathElbab ,Amr ElShobaki ,Georges Fahmi ,John McEldowney ,Karim Sarhan ,Mahmoud Kandil ,Mohamed ElAgatiExecutive Summary The challenge facing post-revolution Egypt is to draft a new Constitution which meets the aspirations of all Egyptian citizens and which provides a firm foundation to secure democratic and accountable government in Egypt. Following the fall of the Mubarak regime in January 2011, the process of Constitutional reform provides Egypt with an opportunity to make a break with past and address the inequalities and authoritarian behaviour which characterised the Mubarak regime. Yet despite these being the fundamental stated aims of the revolution, there…

Italy’s 2013 General Elections

20 March، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Andrea TetiThese papers are the product of an internal seminar and are issued on a non-periodic basis. They reflect the opinion of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Arab Forum for Alternatives or any of its partners. The 2013 Italian elections mark a political shift comparable to the end of the ‘First Republic’ in 1994, which heralded the twenty years dominated by Silvio Berlusconi. In 2013, Berlusconi’s coalition lost over 16% of its support, the main leftist party fared little better, and increasing public anger at a political elite perceived as more brazenly corrupt…

Toward A New Parliamentary Elections Law

4 March، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Amr ElShobakiEgyptIntroduction Laws should not be made especially for a specific political movement or power, except in systems that are authoritarian and oppressive. These laws are supposed to be written for the sake of the public good and the advancement of society. This is how we should address any ideas related to the new parliamentary elections law. Discussing a law benefitting the interests of either the secular current or the Islamist current must not control the process of forming the new electoral law.Such talk comes close to the old saying of “The lazy student’s pretext [for not doing his homework]…

The Proposed Law for Civil Associations and Institutions, 2013 A Model for Oppressive Laws and a Recreation of the Authoritarian System

11 February، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Mohamed ElAgatiOn the eve of President Mohammed Morsi’s acceptance of the draft constitution, in his speech calling for a referendum on the draft, the Egyptian president limited three democratic pillars whose attainment had been one of the primary goals of the revolution. Those pillars are the judiciary, the media, and civil society. In this context, the government confronted us with a new civil associations and institutions proposal that can be described at the very least as a model for oppressive laws and as a proposal that would reinstate the outcomes of authoritarianism. The advisor in the Ministry for Social Solidarity…

New Constitutions for Turkey and Egypt Conflict and Consensus in Two Constitutional Traditions

27 January، 20138fe72e23ug8oPapers and studies, Political transformations and social movements Developments and visions

00

Patrick Scharfe As different as the two countries are, Turkey and Egypt both find themselves undergoing a fundamental reassessment of their political systems. Most importantly, both countries confront the formidable task of re-writing their constitutions, even in the face of deep political divisions and distrust. The two countries have a history of successive constitutions, all of which thus far have had a legitimacy deficit. Today’s constitutional reform processes seek to remedy this deficit, although recent constitutional alterations made for this purpose have not, however, brought about the desired stability or legitimacy. This year, two constitutional committees have been at work…