North Africa

The Upcoming Elections Rivalry in Tunisia

By Naim Ameur

The Islamist party, Ennahda, won the first post-Ben Ali election of the National Constituent Assembly (NCA) on October 23, 2011, forming a coalition government with two smaller parties. But months of unrest and conflicts obliged Ennahda to relinquish the government to overcome political deadlock and to join the National Dialogue.

State Department Religious Freedom Report Highlights Discrimination in Egypt’s Judiciary

By EgyptSource

Released on July 28, the US State Department’s 2013 International Religious Freedom Report documents the status of religious minorities and religious freedom in Egypt over the course of the year, whether under former president Mohamed Morsi, or under the interim government after his removal.

The Poor Always Bear the Highest Cost

By Amr Hamzawy

In front of the High Court building, this scene unfolds:  Poor and low-income women, children, and men wait for prisoner transport vehicles to arrive carrying their husbands, fathers, brothers, sons and daughters, who are scheduled to appear before the courts.  They wait to reassure themselves that their loved ones are well.  They wait to be […]

Libya: Update from the Field

Libya’s democratic promise is more precarious than ever. On the one hand, the government recently reached a deal with armed groups to end a year-long blockade of critical oil fields, and the election commission released final results from the recent parliamentary elections. On the other, a political struggle is taking on an increasingly violent dimension, […]