Parliamentarism in the Arab countries
19 of the 22 Arab League member states are represented in the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union. However not all of them have legislative institutions elected by universal suffrage. The Consultative Council (Majlis as-Shura) – the members of which are designated – which has an advisory role, is considered as the first step of the people’s participation to state politics.
The Constitution authorizes political parties in 10 countries: Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Mauritania, Palestine, Tunisia, Yemen. They are authorized in theory in Iraq and Syria and tolerated in Kuwait (where they should be legalized soon). As to the Palestine National Council (PNC) – exceptional case of a parliamentary institution in exile – it is composed of a large spectrum of political groupings. There is also a directly elected Palestinian legislative institution based in the Palestinian autonomous territories (see Oslo peace process): the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC).
Women have no voting right in Kuwait. In the other Arab countries with a parliament they can vote and be elected. The Arab world is however at the bottom of the ladder as far as women in parliamentary politics are concerned with only 3.4% (the world average is 12.3%).
| Consultative Council | Parliament |
| Algeria | X | |
| Bahrain | X | dissolved in 1975 |
| Comoros | X | |
| Djibouti | X | |
| Egypt | X | |
| Lebanon | X | |
| Libya | « People’s Congress » | |
| Iraq | X | |
| Jordan | X | |
| Kuwait | X | |
| Mauritania | X | |
| Morocco | X | |
| Oman | X | |
| Palestine | X* | |
| Qatar | X | |
| Saudi Arabia | X | |
| Somalia | dissolved | |
| Sudan | X | |
| Syria | X | |
| Tunisia | X | |
| United Arab Emirates | X | |
| Yemen | X |
* The PNC in exile and the PLC in the Palestinian autonomous territories.