coupelike

Coupelike is an adjective used in political analysis and journalism to describe actions, events, or dynamics that resemble a coup d'état but may not meet formal criteria for a completed coup. The term is often employed to capture rapid or abrupt changes in political power that bypass normal constitutional processes, even if a government formally remains in place or retains control of institutions.

Typical characteristics attributed to coupelike developments include a concentrated move by a narrow group to seize or contest power, the involvement or coercion of security forces, and attempts to control or suppress critical media and political opposition. Such events may rely on ambiguous legal justifications, disputed votes or declarations, or rapid institutional maneuvers that undermine standard checks and balances. The outcome is a significant shift in authority with limited or contested popular participation and a weakened or altered constitutional order.

Coupelike should not be confused with a classic coup d'état, which involves a relatively clear, illegal seizure of power by a small group, often with overt overthrow of a government. Instead, coupelike scenarios may involve more complex or hybrid processes, including autogolpes (self-coups), constitutional manipulations, or external influence that produces a similar ends—substantive power realignment—without a clean, widely recognized seizure.

In scholarly and public discourse, the term helps describe and compare events that share adverse effects on democratic norms—rapid power shifts, erosion of constitutional safeguards, and questions about legitimacy—without presuming a single, uniform method of attainment. See also: coup d'état, autogolpe, soft coup, constitutional coup.