In the last two weeks, violent protests have taken place in the two countries that started the Arab Spring: Tunisia and Egypt. In Tunisia, protesters paralyzed the province of Siliana. Like Sidi Bouzid, where Elbouazizi sparked the Tunisian revolution, Siliana has many grievances. But protests quickly spread to other cities including the capital, Tunis. The Tunisian government is now mulling a reshuffle.
In Egypt, over two weeks ago, President Mohammed Morsi announced a constitutional decree that was seen by many as a power grab in the absence of an elected parliament and a ratified new constitution. Opposition forces returned to Tahrir Square demanding that he rolls back his decisions. He reacted by hastily scheduling a referendum on a new constitution drafted by a body dominated by Islamists. Yesterday, he gave the military police powers authorizing it to arrest civilians during the December 15 vote.
Basking in the sun of success after mediating a ceasefire in Gaza, Mohammed Morsi did not wait to cash in at home. He celebrated by giving himself more power. In fact, the authorities he sought made him more powerful than his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak. He, like many other Arab rulers, seems not to grasp the reality of the new Arab world: people now care less about who governs and more about how they govern.
Governments in Tunisia and Egypt face a major test partly because the current leaders have been dragging their feet making the transition to democratic rule. The common feature is that both countries are now governed by Islamist parties. A close look will reveal serious concerns that may lead to the fall of the current governments, which could trigger chaos in the region.
It appears that the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and Ennahdha in Tunisia are more interested in entrenching themselves in the halls of power than transitioning to representative governance. Most people in these two countries started to see this pattern and they went back to the street reminding the new rulers that they do not want to go back to single party or one person rule.