How a democratic system is designed can be as important as
whether the government officials have been elected or appointed. In
constructing a democracy, it is not sufficient to simply hold elections. While
the victors may have democratic legitimacy, the government itself may still
not. Egypt amid the violent protests in early 2013 may be a case in point. Even
though unlike in 2012 the sitting president had been democratically elected, it
is too simplistic to say that the Egyptian government and constitution had
democratic legitimacy.
The full essay is at "Egypt Failed to Interiorize Protests."
