Representing the people in the street or in the ballot box? The revolutionary coalition campaign during the 2011 Egyptian elections

Clément Steuer (1, 2, 3)

1 LADYSS - Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces
2 CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
3 ERC TARICA

The results of the 2011–12 Egyptian elections highlight the gap that exists between the ‘emotional’ and the ‘rational’ conceptions of the people and its representation. If the revolutionary moment had allowed some organizations to temporarily gain legitimacy to speak in the name of the people, these organizations have been ill-equipped to compete within the existing structure of the social cleavages. This article examines the electoral system, the lack of resources at the disposal of the revolutionaries, the polarization of the political field around the religious issue, and the difficulties involved in conciliating between the electoral campaign and street activism.

Keywords: 2011; electoral system; social cleavages; Egypt; People; representation; revolution; electoral sociology; election

Domains: Political science; Sociology

Clément Steuer. Representing the people in the street or in the ballot box? The revolutionary coalition campaign during the 2011 Egyptian elections. Mediterranean Politics, 2021, 26 (1), pp.97-116. ⟨10.1080/13629395.2019.1673572⟩. ⟨halshs-02338149⟩