Half of the world’s democracies are in decline – report



Half of the world’s democracies are experiencing the erosion of democracy exacerbated by the war in Ukraine and the economic crisis, according to a report by an international think tank released Wednesday.

“We are now seeing extremely serious obstacles to democracy, exacerbated by the political consequences of the economic crisis that began with the pandemic and the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine,” International IDEA Secretary General Kevin Casas-Zamora told AFP.

“Perhaps the credibility of the elections has been called into question. Maybe the rule of law is under threat. Maybe the civil space is shrinking,” he explained.

The number of democracies with the most serious democratic erosion — a group dubbed “pull-out” countries that includes the United States since last year — has increased from six to seven in 2022, with El Salvador added to the list.

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The rest are Brazil, Hungary, India, Mauritius and Poland.

Casas-Zamora singled out the US as a source of particular concern.

“I am very concerned about what we are seeing in the United States,” he said.

According to the report, the country faces political polarization, institutional dysfunction and threats to civil liberties.

“By now, it is very clear that the fever has not stopped with the election of a new administration,” he said, pointing to “the rampant level of polarization (and) attempts to undermine the credibility of the election results without any evidence of fraud. “.

Casas-Zamora noted that the US has also taken a “visible step back” in the field of sexual and reproductive rights, “which is exceptional as most countries, almost all other countries, are moving forward in terms of expanding sexual and reproductive rights.”

“The US is rolling back,” he said.

– More authoritarianism –

Of the 173 countries covered by the International IDEA report, 104 were democratic and 52 were in decline.

Meanwhile, the number of countries moving towards authoritarianism (27) is more than double the number of countries moving towards democracy (13).

Nearly half of all authoritarian regimes became even more repressive in 2022, with Afghanistan, Belarus, Cambodia, the Comoros and Nicaragua highlighted as experiencing a “broad recession”.

In Asia, where only 54% of the population lives in a democracy, authoritarianism is on the rise, the report says, while Africa, despite its many challenges, remains “resilient” in the face of instability.

A decade after the Arab Spring, the Middle East continues to be “the most authoritarian region in the world.” It has only three democracies – Iraq, Israel and Lebanon.

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In Europe, nearly half of all democracies, or 17 countries, have experienced democratic erosion in the past five years.

“Democracies are struggling to effectively balance an environment marked by instability and unrest, and populists continue to gain ground around the world as democratic innovation and growth stagnate or decline,” the report said.

He noted the presence of “disturbing patterns” even in countries with medium and high levels of democratic standards.

Progress has stalled over the past five years for all indexes According to IDEA research, some estimates are “the same as in 1990”.

“Democratic systems have really faltered in the last couple of decades, and it’s quite clear that this has become an acute problem in our time,” Casas-Zamora said.

However, there were some signs of progress.

IDEA noted that people are coming together to push their governments to meet the demands of the 21st century, from community kindergartens in Asia to reproductive freedoms in Latin America and youth protests against climate change around the world.

“But also in places like Iran where people have come out to demand freedom, equality and dignity,” Casas-Zamora said.

“So there are a few bright spots, but the overall trend is very bleak.”