The quality of democracy in the world falls for the eighth consecutive year

One in three electoral processes is the subject of dispute and boycott

Spain falls to 26th place among the most complete democracies in the world, while Europe and America register a significant deterioration

September 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The quality of democracy around the world has fallen for the eighth consecutive year in a year full of electoral events, a situation that has allowed us to analyse the state of the rights and freedoms enjoyed by the 3 billion people in more than 70 countries and territories who have gone to the polls globally during this period of time.

Nearly 47 percent of countries have experienced a clear decline in their democratic indices over the last five years, confirming a downward trend in a decline that seems to be consolidating and which places Spain in 26th place among the most complete democracies in the world — two points below the previous year –, according to a report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), an intergovernmental organization based in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

The data obtained indicate that one in three countries that have held elections this year have experienced a loss of democratic quality, an issue that has worsened significantly compared to five years ago. Between 2020 and 2024, one in five such processes has been called into question, so voting and counting processes have become a recurring subject of doubts and litigation.

This represents almost 20 percent of the elections held in that period, a period in which candidates and electoral parties have rejected the results. “Elections have been decided by legal challenges in the same proportion. In total, one in three elections was the subject of some form of dispute, from boycotts to legal proceedings,” the document says.

The year 2023 has become the worst for electoral credibility due to the rise of “government intimidation, foreign interference, disinformation and the misuse of artificial intelligence in election campaigns.” Added to this is a decline in voter turnout, which has dropped from 65.2 percent in 2008 to 55.5 percent in 2023.

Only one in four countries has managed to make progress in its democratic performance, while four out of nine have worsened, including those with better democratic performance, especially in Europe and America.

“While substantial progress has been made in improving electoral conditions, disputes over the credibility of elections are mainly due to irregularities at the time of voting and vote counting,” the report warns, stressing that these processes remain “promising” as a “mechanism to ensure popular control over decision-makers.”

However, throughout 2023, the credibility of these processes has been significantly lower in 39 countries compared to the data collected in 2018. Only fifteen countries have obtained better results in the last five years.

That is why the organisation has described the growing threats to electoral quality as a “pattern” that has led to a dramatic 10-point drop over the past 15 years, but whose effects differ by region.

“This relationship between electoral quality (both real and perceived) and the fluid transfer of power is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the growing pressures on elections from misinformation and polarization, among other variables, widen the space for defeated parties and candidates to deny or reject the results,” the text states.

On the other hand, the organization explained that when these results are questioned, “even more doubts may arise about the validity and even the value of democratic elections” in general.

However, as this “super election year” progresses, the elections “continue to be the best opportunity to end this democratic backsliding and change the course in favour of democracy,” he said, before stressing that this is a year “fraught with uncertainty” and in which “the fate of democracy remains undetermined.”

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

Despite the continuing decline in democratic quality globally, elections held in countries such as Brazil, France, Gambia, Guatemala, India, Poland and Zambia, among others, “retain a remarkable capacity to surprise experts and, in some cases, even strengthen democracy despite adversity,” the report says.

Over the past five years, democratic performance in Africa has remained broadly stable, but has seen significant declines in the Sahel region, particularly in coup-hit Burkina Faso. At least 21 countries have experienced such a decline in electoral credibility, while Burundi and Zambia have made notable improvements.

In West Asia, democratic performance is largely stagnant, with more than a third of countries performing poorly, especially on issues of representation.

In Europe, International IDEA warns of a “general decline in democratic aspects” such as the rule of law and civil liberties – despite progress in Central Europe, particularly in countries such as Montenegro and Latvia.

The Americas have largely remained stable, but countries such as Guatemala, Peru, Canada and Uruguay have seen declines in the rule of law and civil liberties, a situation that has been more mild in the Asia-Pacific region, where there have been “minor declines” and “significant improvements” in Fiji, the Maldives and Thailand.

At the bottom of the list, however, are countries and territories such as Afghanistan, Burma, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, among others. The countries that have seen the biggest drop in the list are Niger, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Madagascar and Tunisia.