If it’s true that Egypt pulled off a so-called Facebook revolution, then the nation is about to confront a status change in its relationship with democracy: “It’s complicated.” Very.
As soon as I read the introduction I loved the article. It expresses essential questions about the process of democratization. Are the 40 million people ready to vote in the referendum ? Should a new constitution be written instead of trying to improve the old one? What are the electoral rules that underlie those amendments and who are they in favor of?
This brings the important question of where to start during the transition process to actually build democratic structures. I guess the people are not ready, but when will they be when they never experienced democracy in their whole life? Who is legitimate to write the amendments when there is no officially elected authority to do so yet?
It is not surprising that the “relationship status” of egypt with democracy is very complicated when we think about how long it took to “older” democracies to become ones! As mentioned in the readings this week, everyone needs to learn how to behave in a democracy. The people need to understand how to vote because voting is not only a matter of checking a box. People need to be aware that their voice is worth something. Politicians need to learn how to discuss and make compromises. However, as mentioned at the end of the article, the process is going to be even more complicated by the fact that 22% of the population is still illiterate. It seems like so much needs to be done at the same time. Education is definitely a necessary basis for democracy.
Good luck Egypt.