Watchdog says democracy is in trouble, declining in many countries

A global watchdog body warned on Thursday that half of the world’s countries are experiencing democratic decline, ranging from faulty elections to reduced rights such as freedom of expression and assembly.

The Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) reported in its annual report that 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year in which nations with net falls outnumbered those with net advances, the longest consecutive dip since records began in 1975.

“In short, democracy is still in trouble, stagnant at best, and declining in many places”, said IDEA Secretary-General Kevin Casas-Zamora in the study.

As to the think tank, the weakening of democratic safeguards such as elections, parliaments, and independent courts has caused issues in upholding the rule of law and holding officials accountable.

“But while many of our formal institutions like legislatures are weakening, there is hope that these more informal checks and balances, from journalists to election organizers and anti-corruption commissioners, can successfully battle authoritarian and populist trends”, he continued.

As noted by IDEA, the fall should be regarded in the context of the cost-of-living crises, climate change, and Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, all of which represent significant challenges for many political leaders.

IDEA based its Global State of Democracy Indices on over 100 indicators and categorizes performance using four primary categories: Representation, Rights, Rule of Law and Participation.

IDEA stated that while Europe remained the world’s best-performing continent, specific metrics of democratic performance in many established democracies, including Austria, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and the United Kingdom, had declined significantly.

It also stated that Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia, and Turkey had strayed from the rest of Europe, performing much below the European average on most democratic indices.

In spite of recent, sharp declines in performance, governments like El Salvador and Guatemala have maintained a mid-range level of democracy, according to Watchdog, with the majority of American countries having been able to conduct credible elections.

However, there are some green shoots, according to the think tank, with surprisingly high rates of political participation and declining levels of corruption, particularly in Africa.

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