1. Arab Democratic Transitions?
Rethinking Arab Democratic Transitions
Democratic Gains
Challenges:
1- Political Islam
2- Gender
3- Alternation of Power
4- Human rights

2. Rethinking Arab Transitions
Limitations of Theory
Peculiarities
Exceptionalism

3. Democratic Gains Frequency
close to 50 elections b/w  5 per year
Participation
voter turnout = 80%+
voting age lowered to 18 in many Arab states
Contestation
multiparty elections
opposition field candidates
Habituation
voting rights exercised
voter rolls
regularity of voting

8. Challenges 1- Political Islam Caveats Explaining the “impasse”
Islamizing democracy? Democratizing Islam?
PI in the Democratic Process

12. Islamic Action Front IAF (Jordan)  approximates a political party
Cadres  mostly civil not religious or both
Democratic procedures inside front
Alternation of leadership
Broad consultation, deliberation & aggregation of political preferences

13. Challenges 2- Gender Inclusive Politics Away from “state feminism”
Women and the electoral process

14. Jordanian National Forum for Women -- JNFW
Objectives: “spreading awareness among Jordanian women of the content of the national strategy which was ratified in 1993 and which aims to improve women’s status, involve them in the national development ..., and promote their legal status and increase their participation in decision-making…”

15. The Jordanian National Committee for Women
“To amend legislation obstructing women’s participation in development and enacting new legislations and policies…emphasizing…their full participation.”
“To create public awareness regarding the importance of women’s roles and their status in the progress the Jordanian society.”
“To increase women’s participation in development and to create job opportunities for them ...”

16. Jordanian Constitution
Chapter Two
Rights and duties of Jordanians
I. Jordanians shall be equal before the law. There shall be no discrimination between them as regards their rights and duties on grounds of race, language or religion.

17. Since elections of 1997, more women are lobbying for a quota system  reach parliament in 2001
20% quota in the LHP (16 seats of the 80-seat parliament)
Queen Noor: “I would prefer to have the various political parties elect women to their high cadres and this may have women represent their parties in parliament.”

18. Women in Egypt's Parliament
Under-represented
Women activists reconsidering quota system
Tokenism within government/opposition
Females = less than 3% of candidates in elections