According to the most recent release of our sister company’s EIU’s Democracy Index, the long-term deterioration of global democracy came to an end in 2022. The annual poll assigns a maximum score of ten to each of five criteria—political involvement, democratic political culture, election process and pluralism, government operation, and civil liberties—in order to assess the state of democracy in 167 different nations. According to the most recent edition, nearly half of all people on earth (45.3%) reside in some form of democracy, while 36.9% are subject to authoritarian control. The overall rating of 5.29 out of 10, which is just 0.01 higher than it was the year before, shows stasis rather than the reversal of the democratic recession that started in 2016 as had been expected, as reported by The Economist.
Relaxation of restrictions
The relaxation of pandemic-related restrictions in 2022 was one of the factors that contributed to expectations of a rebound. Scores in 2020 and 2021 were negatively impacted by the extensive repression of individual liberties, which were originally intended to safeguard people against COVID-19. But in 2022, any gains were cancelled out by unfavourable events elsewhere. Furthermore, China, which is home to almost a fifth of the world’s population, just abandoned its zero-covid policy in December after imprisoning tens of millions of its residents for several months at a period. Following considerable opposition to the zero-covid programme, the administration changed its mind. However, the government’s oppressive response to those demonstrations contributed to China’s democracy score falling to 1.94 out of 10, the lowest it has been since the index’s inception in 2006.
Hybrid system
Russia experienced the most democratic slide of any nation in the world, dropping 22 spots to 146th. The West is vehemently opposed to Vladimir Putin’s desire to reinstate Russia as an imperial force, although non-Western nations may not always share this opinion. Two-thirds of the world’s population reside in nations with neutral or pro-Russian governments. The purpose of Mr. Putin’s propaganda campaign is to convince the developing world that the West wants to “divide and destroy” Russia. The state’s tight control of the media and repression of anti-war protesters in Russia itself led to an all-time low score of 2.28.
Although historically high voter turnout during the midterm elections in November and widespread opposition to candidates who continue to challenge the outcome of the 2020 presidential election helped the nation’s score stay steady at 7.85, polarisation still poses the greatest threat to democracy in America. An already shaky democracy was undermined farther south by a botched coup staged by Pedro Castillo, the president of Peru (who has since been overthrown). The index no longer categorises Peru’s government as democratic, but rather as a “hybrid system.”
Reported coups
Burkina Faso dropped 16 spots in the standings due to repeated coups in other countries. For the second year in a row, sub-Saharan Africa’s democratic rankings stagnated due to failed coup attempts in Guinea Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, and the Gambia.
Only Western Europe, which is home to eight of the top ten countries in the ranking, saw a significant improvement in 2022. Norway maintained its long-held place atop the rankings, closely followed by four other Nordic nations, as its regional score recovered to pre-pandemic levels. (New Zealand came in second place overall.)
Turkey, the sole “hybrid government” in the region, has experienced a sharp fall over the past ten years, which is a reflection of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s increasingly dictatorial reign. This summer’s election in the nation could determine if it remains a democratic nation. Despite significant progress on a worldwide scale, democracy is still in danger.
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Source: The Economist
