A Comparative Study Of Islamic Political Parties In Tunisia And Morocco Since The Arab Revolutio

As an important carrier of modern political development,political parties have a profound impact on the modernization process of Middle East countries.It has been more than a decade since the upheavals in the Middle East,during which Islamic parties have risen strongly,profoundly changing the political map and regional situation in the Middle East.Among them,Tunisia’s Ennahda and the Party of Justice and Development in Morocco(PJD)both won elections in 2011 and stepped down in2021.This phenomenon is worthy of attention.It not only concerns the adaptability of Islamic political parties,their status,role and limitations in political development,but also affects the primary attribute and development path of a country.Therefore it is a significant subject of both theoretical and practical meaning to study party development and political modernization in the Middle East.Based on the perspective of party building and party governance,this paper takes the Ennahda and the PJD as the research objects.On the one hand,through vertical analysis,it summarizes the historical background of the rise of political Islam in Tunisia and Morocco,and reveals the reasons for the rise of Islamic parties in the Arab upheaval.On the other hand,it makes a horizontal comparison of the governing practices of the Ennahda and the PJD,analyzes the self-construction problems of their guiding ideology,political program,political mobilization and organizational system from two dimensions of party building and governance practice,with observing and comparing their political,economic and social governance practices and governance effects.Then it reveals the development orientation and realistic choice of Islamic political parties under different political systems(republic and monarchy).This article consists of seven parts.In the introduction part,while illustrating the reasons for topic selection,the author reviews the research on Islamic political parties at home and abroad,defines “Islamic political parties”,and carries out the research design based on the theory of political party governance.The first chapter summarizes Islamism and its changes in Tunisia and Morocco in different historical periods.The second chapter analyzes the rise of the Ennahda and its political practice,especially why it has risen and encountered difficulties since the Arab upheaval.Chapter three analyzes the rise of the PJD and its political practice,and its political practice and development since the Arab upheaval.Chapter four is a comparative study of the political practices of Ennahda and the PJD since the Arab upheaval,namely from the historical perspective of vertically comparing the common factors of the rise of Islamic parties in the Arab upheaval,from horizontal perspective of comparing the self-construction of Ennahda and the PJD(intra-party governance)and the governance plans and practices of Islamic ruling parties.The fifth chapter discusses the characteristics of the Arab Islamic party political practice,the factors that affect the rise and fall of Islamic party politics,and the development prospects of Islamic parties in the Arab States.In the conclusion part,it points out that the governance ability of political parties is key to evaluate political parties.The governance practices of Islamic political parties are complex and changeable,which not only reflects their self-adjustment and transformation to meet the needs of the times,but also has limitations and problems such as focusing on elections while neglecting governance.However,facts show that the so-called Middle-Eastern Exceptionalism or Hijack Democracy is not true.This paper holds that Islamic political parties in the Arab,represented by Ennahda and the PJD,have experienced different stages of resistance,adaptation,and gradual integration to national political development process,providing a new choice for exploring the development path of Middle East countries.The characteristics of their political practice are as follows: first,the characteristics of political parties are mixed of both traditional and modern characteristics,including traditional paganism and Islamism,as well we institutionalization and modern governance concept to some extent.The second is the close relationship between political party governance and society,which not only has its profound social foundation,complex organizational structure,but also has strong political mobilization ability and ideological appeal.The third is the variability and difference of political practice.Influenced by electoral politics,its political status fluctuates and is closely related to the evolution of national political system and power structure.Therefore,Ennahda and the PJD show both adaptability in political elections and have limitations in ruling and governing practice.Organizational status,social foundation,conception shifting,mobilization ability and strategy choice are the key factors that determine the success or failure of Islamic parties in the elections.Their governance strategy,political tactics,governance ability and performance will ultimately determine their governing status,political goals and development prospects.The political practice of Islamic parties shows a trend of localization and nationalization,and its future development depends on the level of party construction,its relationship with government and society,and its program and capability to address national governance problems.