POLS 3060 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Hosni Mubarak, Kefaya, Arab Spring

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Political Science
• Course: POLS 3060
• Professor: Janine Clark

Document Summary

Lecture 12: 2011 arab spring in egypt: assumes power in 1981. Power concentrated in presidency: executive is not accountable to the elected parliament/legislative assembly. Two house parliament: appointed upper house, cabinet appointed from outside the parliament, elected lower house. Limited powers of elected parliament: cabinet must approve all legislature passed in parliament. Repression (increases after september 11th: emergency laws since 1981, surveillance, torture, killing. Discredited political leadership and institutions: leadership old and corrupt, mubarak"s son, gamal, being groomed for power, violence /intimidation at election time, muslim brotherhood candidates arrested without charge (under emergency laws) and released from jail after the elections. Why then: ellen lust argues that we need to look at the micro-transformations that changed the political playing field over time. Rise of new social and political actors. Reconciliation processes between the islamist and liberal opposition: wasat party (middle/centre party) (2011) (gets license on 5th attempt, break-away from muslim brotherhood (1996, kifaya movement.