The COVID-19 pandemic and authoritarian consolidation in North Africa

Abstract Since the Arab Spring, North Africa has witnessed increased levels of authoritarianism and a general decline in human rights as authoritarian regimes have consolidated power. During the COVID-19 pandemic, regimes across the region have instituted greater restrictions on public gatherings in order to curb the spread of the virus, and some have used the pandemic to enhance powers and crush dissent. This article will investigate if these two phenomena are connected. Is the expansion of emergency powers and surveillance designed to primarily support public health, or is this emergency legislation designed to provide greater authoritarian power for regimes under the guise of fighting the pandemic? We find that considerable actions taken by these regimes were not solely designed to support public health, and instead have been exploited to curb dissent. The potential detrimental impact this expansion could have on human rights across the region could be severe. We compare emergency legislation in Morocco and Egypt since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our analysis provides systematic insight into how authoritarian regimes respond to public health crises and details how these crises can be used by regimes facing contentious political action to quell dissent.