An intergovernmental observer group reported on November 2 that half of the world’s countries are facing a democratic crisis, ranging from flawed elections to human rights abuses – Euractiv.
The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) stated in its annual report that 2022 was the sixth consecutive year in which countries with a net decline had outnumbered countries with a net growth.
In short, democracy is still in trouble, stagnant at best, and declining in many places.
The institute claimed that the deterioration of the basic pillars of democracy resulted in problems with the rule of law and accountability of politicians.
“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 organisers and anti-corruption commissioners, can successfully battle authoritarian and populist trends.”
IDEA also noted that the decline in democracy is linked to the cost-of-living crisis, climate change and the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022 and caused problems for many European leaders. The organisation stated that Europe, despite a significant decline in specific indicators of democratic performance, remained the region with the highest performance in the world.
The study found that countries, such as Azerbaijan, Belarus, Russia and Turkey, lagged behind the rest of Europe on most democracy indicators.
IDEA said that most countries in the Americas have managed to hold credible elections and continue to perform at average levels across all categories of democracy, although states such as El Salvador and Guatemala have recently experienced sharp declines.
However, the think tank noted the existence of “green shoots” with surprisingly high levels of political participation and declining levels of corruption, particularly in Africa.
