Every year, the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem), based at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, publishes a report on the state of democracy worldwide. Released in March, the latest revealed that, on December 31, 2023, 71% of the world’s population lived in an autocracy (compared with 48% 10 years ago). Staffan Ingemar Lindberg, director of the institute, analyzes the current situation.
The year 2024, an “electoral super-year” with elections held in 60 countries, is drawing to a close. What is your assessment?
The overall picture is negative. Of the 60 countries that have held national elections, 31 are autocracies. I see three categories. There are cases where the repercussions of elections are ambiguous, such as India. The Indian People’s Party (BJP, for Bharatiya Janata Party) lost its majority [in June] and had to form a coalition government. It remains to be seen whether this will put an end to the autocratization process that began in 2000. Positive cases include Taiwan, where the Democratic Progressive Party won the presidential election [in January], or Botswana, which had been ruled by the same party since 1965 and where democracy had been retreating for a decade. The opposition’s victory [at the end of October] clearly put an end to this trend.
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