Explaining Islamist Party Change in North Africa

Islamist organizations across the Arab world are transforming themselves from religious social movements into programmatic political parties. As capacious movements they were thought to enjoy a political advantage over their competitors. But in North Africa, pragmatic Islamist parties are facing unexpected electoral setbacks driven by disillusioned voters and authoritarian interference. This paper asks what happens inside Islamist parties after poor electoral performance. Comparing Islamist intraparty dynamics in Morocco and Tunisia, the paper asks: What explains variation in Islamist party strategy after poor electoral performance? Evidence of Islamist intraparty dynamics shows that ideology is not always the leading cause of division, but that strategy and organization also have fragmenting effects. Instead of asking about the causes of moderation, this question examines the effects that it has and how this shapes broader party systems. Using a structured, focused comparison based on qualitative fieldwork in Morocco and Tunisia, this project brings findings on political parties in the Global South into dialogue with theoretical debates about party behaviour derived from Western contexts.