The Democratic Stalemate in Egypt - Essay Example

Democratization is therefore the process through which any given political system that has never been democratic becomes democratic. This enables the citizens in the participation of the election of their leaders through a free and fair election. The citizens are also able to freely participate in the countries civic and political duty without intimidation and their rights are fully protected hence they are able to freely operate within the borders of their country (Gelvin 24). Despite, this they must be aware that the laws are applicable to each one of them equally without discrimination.

For a long time the freedom of the Egyptians had been curtailed due to the autocratic rule that their previous leaders bestowed on them. The media was not allowed to freely express the wishes of the people leave alone to criticize the government policies and their leaders (Sayigh 12). The political involvement both in terms of competition and voting has never been liberalized, as the ruling party has gained excessive power and dominance hence denying other parties political space. Democracy has never existed in areas where there is no freedom of worship through religion or without the freedom of expression whether popular or unpopular.

According to democratic theorists, democracy is always quite parallel within a command economy. These calls for a situation where the rights of the minority are also protected while empowering the citizens economically and the powers of the government must as well be made limited (Stabile). Literature review The slow pace in the Egyptian democratization process had been largely because of the existence of the Mubarak state due to the autocratic Mubarak rule for quite a long time. The shout of the Egyptians and the “Arab spring” has been on the international media portraying the need by the Egyptians for a democratic state.

This process has though been thwarted by a series of factors and reasons which such media has not given any form of consideration. According to Gelvin (24) these are the factors that have made it hard for the rule of Mubarak to be ousted off power not until the revolution by the Egyptian people came into effect to overturn such a government. Due to the existence of a variety of political, economic and other socio cultural factors could not make it visible that Egypt would move from its volcanic upheaval of the twentieth century to near democracy in the second half of the 21st century.

Partly, the bright democratic future of Egypt has been made dull by the political monopoly of the ruling class, the excessive powers bestowed upon the state to prevent intended reforms. As stated by Katz (166)The powers are as a result of the existence of the loyal bureaucratic structures and use of public security forces for the benefit of the government. The other factor is the existence of the Islamic forces that are quite radical who act in a vacuum due to the lack of well strengthened institutions.

Economically, Egypt largely depends on local consumption hence the needed role and impacts of the foreign trade are not a factor that can control autocracy, if in case then the foreign countries need the Egyptians more that the Egyptians need them (Gelvin 27). The countries also experiences and complete absence of an economy that is market driven, this has made it possible that the local population is extremely impoverished