Political rights and representation for women in Egypt

Since their independence, Arab countries have experienced several periods of political openness based firstly on the establishing and then the strengthening of democratic institutions: universal suffrage, elections, representative assemblies, the system of checks and balance to foster rule of law. By the Nineties, a wave of potentially deepreaching political changes seemed to be underway in the Arab region in general and the North Africa in particular In Egypt, Mubarak launched a new period of political liberalisation with even more vigour with the starting of the XXI century. The first multi-party presidential elections held after the approval of a constitutional amendment was the most optimistic sign of this shifting period. Probably triggered by international organization, Mubarak continued seeking for a public support of its political reform. The government officially claims higher participation of all citizens and promises concrete actions in favour of under-represented groups, such as women. A deeper analysis reveals some discrepancies between government’s rhetorical discourse and actions. Restriction on political rights and freedom with the maintenance of the emergency law questioned seriously the reversal trend toward authoritarianism. Is the real government’s engagement towards the rule of law? Is it effectively involved in the construction of a more inclusive system where all fragments of the society are represented? The present research is intended to provide some answers by a twofold structure: some general tools for analysis and, afterwards, the case-study focused on the exercise of women’s political rights.