Crossing the Border. Trans-ideological co-operation in the Egyptian Revolution

Whilst scholars of Middle East politics had almost completely neglected the study of Arab political parties (with the notable exception of Islamist organisations), arguing that their role was minimal within an authoritarian context, the ‘Arab Uprisings’ seem to have brought the role of political parties back to the attention of international academia. This paper aims to highlight coalitions of political actors traditionally at odds both before and after the recent ‘Egyptian Revolution’. I will be presenting a general discussion on the convergences among ideologically different political parties in authoritarian contexts, and then I will focus on the Islamist--Leftist groupings in post 2011 Egypt, looking in particular at the Abul-Futuh Presidential Campaign (2011/12) and its aftermath. Indeed, whilst Abul-Futuh was coming from the Muslim Brotherhood, he managed to attract a wide and diverse array of supporters, from Revolutionary Socialists to Secular Copts. After the unsuccesful campaign, part of this group of supporters followed the former member of the Muslim Brotherhood in the founding of Hizb Misr al-Qawiyya (Strong Egypt Party). Moreover, a part of the paper will be devoted to post-July 2013 coup trans-ideological alliances such as al-Midān al-Thālith (The Third Square), and Jabhat Tariq al-Thawra- Thuwwār (Road to Revolution Front – Revolutionaries). Based on extensive fieldwork in Egypt, on the analysis of primary sources and secondary literature looked through the lens of (modified) social movements theory, the paper aims at critically analysing the opportunity offered by this rich inter-ideological debate, highlighting continuities and breaks in this practice before and after the Revolution.