TUNISIA

After some delay, the definitive results in Tunisia's hung election were announced earlier this week. There are some minor changes (the Ennahda party has 89 seats out of 217 – one less than originally reported).

The Tunisia Live website has produced useful a graphic showing a breakdown of the parties in the assembly and by region. There is also a tabulated list of parties, with the number of seats and votes cast in their favour.

EGYPT

With Egyptian elections due to start on November 28, the Arabist blog has a chart of the competing parties which places them on left/right and religious/secular axes. There are 42 parties, 31 of them new.

The full chart (here) also provides a brief description of each party and the name of its leader, plus links to party websites and Facebook pages.

Meanwhile, the Jadaliyya blog is promising "the most comprehensive coverage of the critical Egyptian elections". In what appears to be the first of numerous articles, it says:

"For many observers, these elections signify a historic moment for Egyptians and a monumental step in their so-called transition to democracy ... For others, this event reflects the persistence of a political practice that Mubarak instituted long before his demise, namely the convening of elections with a view to impose a façade of democratic openness on a reality devoid of any democratic openness."

MOROCCO

Attracting rather less attention than either Tunisia or Egypt, Morocco is due to go to the polls on November 25. These will be the first parliamentary elections under the new constitution that was approved by a referendum in July.

Adria Lawrence discusses the background in an article for Foreign Policy. Al-Arabiya reports that some activists are threatening a boycott amid predictions of a low turnout. Many Moroccans appear to see little point in voting because the king still holds so much power.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 17 November 2011.