Constitution-Making, Political Transition and Reconcilation in Tunisia and Egypt: A Comparative Perspective

The political changes that have taken place in recent years in several Arab countries have necessitated changes in the political structure of these countries, mainly because of the political tensions between the different groups in these societies. In such a reality, the constitution-making process can serve as a political tool for redefining the political framework and for ending conflicts and achieving reconciliation between conflicted communities. This article examines how the constitution-making process can become a reconciliatory constitution-making process in two cases: Tunisia and Egypt. These two cases differ in terms of the success of the constitution-making process in solving political disputes. In Tunisia, the constitution-making process contributed to a great extent to the reduction of disputes and conflicts and the achieving reconciliation. However, the constitution-making process in the Egyptian case did not succeed in this matter. It even caused a battle between the different groups regarding the establishment of the new constitution.