최근 아랍 국가들의 선거 결과 분석 및 의미

The Analysis and Implication of Recent Elections in Arab Countries

This study highlights authoritarian elections’ role in changing politics in Arab countries. Although many scholars have contributed to developing the literature on how authoritarian elections lead to democratization or authoritarian consolidation, there has been a lack of studies regarding the role and effect of elections in Arab authoritarian regimes. From this perspective, this study explores how elections in Arab countries show meaningful political changes by analyzing three recent Arab countries’ elections in Morocco, Iraq and Lebanon. This study discovers some similar trends in the recent Arab elections. Because of the elections, there have been changes in the balance of power in parliaments. Some major political parties suffered losses. Furthermore, new electoral laws were introduced to encourage the new parties or candidates’ participation and to constrain sectarian politics. Finally, some new political parties that were born from civil society or protest movements emerged and won several seats in parliaments. Therefore, this study contributes to finding meaningful changes in political landscapes through having elections in Arab countries.