Part of a special issue devoted to the role of parliaments in contemporary Arab politics, this article gives an oversight of the evolution of the constitutional rules governing the status and powers of Arab parliamentary assemblies following the “Arab spring” and during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Parliaments have traditionally played a marginal role in Arab constitutional theory and practice. Although the strengthening of the role and powers of parliaments and a rebalancing of the executive-legislative relations in favour of the latter featured prominently in the reform agendas emerging from the protest movements of the “Arab spring,” these movements proved unable to produce lasting change. The reforms have either been rolled back by oppressive governments or given way to a political pactice of renewed presidential dominance which diverges considerably from the initial aspirations of the reformers. The highly unfavourable conditions existing in most Arab countries – with internally divided democratic reform movements, entrenched military, and political elites determined to resist genuine democratic change with all means available and powerful external actors supporting the domestic status quo – are likely to ensure that parliaments will remain confined to a largely ornamental role in Arab politics in the foreseeable future.

作为专门讨论议会在当代阿拉伯政治中的作用的特刊的一部分，本文对“阿拉伯之春”之后和早期阿拉伯议会议会地位和权力的宪法规则的演变进行了监督。 2019冠状病毒病大流行。传统上，议会在阿拉伯宪法理论和实践中扮演着边缘角色。尽管“阿拉伯之春”抗议运动产生的改革议程突出强调了议会的作用和权力的加强以及行政-立法关系的重新平衡以支持后者，但这些运动被证明无法产生持久的变化。 . 改革要么被压迫性政府撤回，要么让位于恢复总统主导地位的政治协议，这与改革者的最初愿望大相径庭。大多数阿拉伯国家存在的极为不利的条件——内部分裂的民主改革运动、根深蒂固的军事和政治精英决心用一切可用的手段抵制真正的民主变革，以及支持国内现状的强大外部行动者——可能会确保议会将在可预见的未来，仍然局限于阿拉伯政治中主要的装饰性角色。