February 7th, 2011 by Alec

Larry Diamond, in an op-ed piece for The Washington Post, outlines the steps needed for Egypt to transform into a stable and lasting democracy.  Using examples from other nations who have made the transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, Diamond states that unity of the opposition is paramount to prevent autocrats from re-consolidating power as a splintered opposition allows corrupt rulers to essentially steal elections.  He says that Egypt is lucky in that Mohammed ElBaradei seems to be emerging as a unifying figure for disparate opposition groups.  Diamond also urges cautions in dealing with remnants of the old regime that are still in place.  A new leader for Egypt must be “untainted by the old order” but will not be able to completely wipe away the remaining “pillars of the authoritarian order.”  He holds up Brazil and South Africa as model examples of how to deal with such elements.  Also necessary, he argues, are constitutional reforms that will allow free and fair elections to take place, while allowing the country to deal with fully re-writing the constitution after such elections. He ends by calling for a transitional government to be inclusive, even if that means including “dubious players” of the old regime: “Transitions are full of opportunists, charlatans and erstwhile autocrats who enter the new political field with no commitment to democracy. Every democratic transition that has endured […] has tread this path.”

Posted in Egypt, Elections, Reform |