India among ‘backsliding democracies’: ‘Global State of Democracy’ report
The ‘Global State of Democracy 2021’ by the Stockholm-based International IDEA has classified India as undergoing ‘democratic backsliding’ and worse, among such countries has the ‘the most democratic violations during the pandemic’.
More countries than ever before are suffering from ‘democratic erosion’ (decline in democratic quality), including established democracies; and India has the most democratic violations among democracies deemed ‘backsliding’, which is a more severe and deliberate kind of democratic erosion.
These aspects have come out in the ‘Global State of Democracy 2021’ report by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), a 34-nation intergovernmental organisation based in Stockholm.
The report, subtitled ‘Building Resilience in a Pandemic Era’, says the world is becoming ‘more authoritarian’ as autocratic regimes become even more brazen in their repression and as many democratic governments are backsliding and adopting authoritarian tactics by restricting free speech and weakening the rule of law, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘India is the backsliding democracy with the most democratic violations during the pandemic. Violations include: Harassment, arrests and prosecution of human rights defenders, activists, journalists, students, academics and others critical of the government or its policies; excessive use of force in the enforcement of COVID-19 regulations; harassment against Muslim minorities; Internet obstructions; and lockdowns, particularly in Kashmir,’ the report notes.
The number of countries undergoing ‘democratic backsliding’ has never been as high as in the last decade and includes regional geopolitical and economic powers such as Brazil, India and the United States. So much so that ‘70% of the global population now live either in non-democratic regimes or in democratically backsliding countries,’ the report further notes
In a region-focused report—part of the ‘Global State of Democracy’—that looked at the Asia-Pacific region, International IDEA said the trend of ‘rising ethnonationalism’ that undermined pluralism, increased polarization and heightened conflict was ‘most immediately noticeable in India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka’.
Interestingly, the foreword of the report has been written by former Chief Election Commissioner of India Dr SY Quraishi. Even as it states that ‘democracy is on the back foot’, it ends on a hopeful note to say that ‘democracy’s resilience, perhaps its greatest asset, will allow it ultimately to triumph’.
‘As the former Chief Election Commissioner of my own country, India, I have personally been witness to the changing times of global democracy. Despite India falling in the democracy ranks, I can personally attest that the spirit of democracy among the Indian people remains strong. Difficult times undoubtedly lie ahead. Democracy is on the back foot, and more countries are moving towards authoritarianism than at any other point since 1995. However, I am confident that democracy’s resilience, perhaps its greatest asset, will allow it ultimately to triumph.’
