The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance’s (IDEA) Global State of Democracy 2023 report, published on Thursday, the 2nd November, says that democracy in the world is beginning to deteriorate in the face of rising authoritarianism, noting that it is due to the rise of figures like Viktor Orban, Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who are known for their hardline policies in Hungary, the US and Turkey, reports Politico.
“In Hungary, Poland, Turkey, Slovakia, Israel and the US, to name just the best-known examples, leaders who claim to speak for and with the authority of the people have contributed to the deterioration of democratic norms,” the new report warns.
This six-year decline marks the longest continuous period of democracy deterioration since record-keeping began in 1975. During this time, more countries have seen a decline in democracy rather than an improvement, noted Seema Shah, who leads IDEA’s Democracy Assessment Unit, in her conversation with Politico.
“We have not seen this before, the basic principles of democracy are under threat,”
said Shah.
The IDEA report, based on 2022 data, analyses 173 countries using 17 indicators, including civil liberties, judicial independence, credible elections, and the rule of law. Although Europe is the region with the highest scores, there are regional differences.
The report highlights that Hungary and Poland remain problematic within the European Union (EU), reflecting the EU’s limited influence on its Member States. Leaders such as Hungary’s Viktor Orbán have weakened institutions during his time in power, while Poland’s recent election results could point to a more positive development.
“We will wait to see how this plays out in next year’s data,” said Shah.
In contrast to Hungary and Poland, several Central and Eastern European countries – including Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Romania and Slovakia – have shown significant improvements in democracy over five years, the report said.
However, Austria saw a decline in the rule of law and civil liberties, as well as in press and media freedom. Shah said this was surprising and noteworthy as Austria is not usually in the headlines. The report says that former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is involved in schemes aimed at suppressing critical media and purchasing favourable coverage using public funds from the Ministry of Finance.
Researchers from IDEA are concerned, but also have some hope for the future.
Shah concludes that while there are concerns about the decline of democracy in countries such as Austria, it is still possible to act, but the situation in Hungary and Poland is more difficult to change. EU efforts to bring these countries up to EU standards have been slow and not always successful, she added.
In Africa, despite some coups, there have been positive developments, with increased political participation and reduced corruption, especially in Gambia and Zambia.
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