Democracy has been deformed by autocrats across the world. Although election is the most essential feature of democracy not all systems that organize elections, meaning multiparty elections, are democracies. A new report published by the University of Gothenburg shows, however, that it is this type of political system, otherwise called “electoral autocracy” that is now the most common form of government in the world. This information is published by The Citizen. Here is an excerpt:

Democracy had declined sharply across the globe in 2020, says the recently released 5th., Annual Democracy Report of the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. The alarming report is titled: “Autocratization Turns Viral.”

The study distinguishes between three types of government: Liberal Democracy; Autocracy; and Electoral Autocracy. Of the three, Electoral Autocracy is the most interesting. It is also the most common form of government.

Electoral Autocracy is a political system in which the rulers come to power through a democratic election, but eventually become dictatorial and intolerant of democratic institutions, practices and rights. They retain many institutions of democracy but at the same time weaken them to perpetuate their rule.

Read the full article here.