With regard to political representation – the index that measures how citizens feel represented by elected officials – Portugal fell from position 9 to position 22 last year, after already being in third place in 2017, out of 173 countries. This is evident from a study by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), an intergovernmental organization based in Stockholm (Sweden).
IDEA highlights that Portugal belongs to a large group of countries that have fallen substantially in this index over the past six years, despite maintaining a good position even compared to other European countries.
In another relevant index (out of 17 analyzed) on citizen participation (the way people try to interfere in the democratic process), Portugal rose seven places (from 76th to 69th), compared to the previous year, remaining in the first place. half of the ‘ranking’.
In the Civil Rights Index, Portugal retained the 31st place it already had in 2021, but in 2017, in the Rule of Law Index (one of the indexes that revealed the greatest erosion worldwide), Portugal fell only one place from 33rd. to 34th place since 2021, but the decline since 2017 was 12 places.
In its annual report, entitled “The Global State of Democracy 2023”, IDEA highlights that in Europe, many democracies with strong traditions have registered a decline in their democratic performance, including Austria, the Netherlands, Portugal and the United Kingdom, in the Rule category of the law.
Yet the European continent remains one of the best performing regions in the world, with encouraging signs, especially in Central Europe, of significant progress in democratic performance.
Democracies shaking to their foundations
The data collected by IDEA also allows us to understand that the foundations of democracy are weakening around the world, with half of countries suffering decline due to a lack of political and judicial control.
The weakening of democracies is compounded by the erosion of traditional systems of control – free elections, parliaments and courts – which are increasingly revealing problems in ensuring the effectiveness of institutions, according to the latest report from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), an intergovernmental organization based in Stockholm (Sweden).
According to the report, almost half (85) of the 173 countries surveyed have experienced a decline in at least one key indicator of democratic performance over the past five years, based on 17 parameters ranging from civil liberties to judicial independence.
One of the most sensitive factors, political representation, has deteriorated, even in democracies that had so far performed well in the IDEA assessment, such as Portugal.
the factor related to the rule of law – exemplified by the independence of the judiciary and the degree of absence of political violence – has also weakened globally, including in countries such as Austria, Hungary and Peru.
Two of the few positive signs in this report are the increase in political participation and the decline in corruption rates, especially in Africa, which IDEA attributes in part to the effectiveness of political oversight agencies and human rights institutions.
For example, 2022 marked the sixth consecutive year in which net decline countries surpassed net progress countries, representing the longest consecutive decline since IDEA records emerged in 1975.
These declines span virtually every continent, in countries ranging from South Korea to Benin and Brazil, from Canada to El Salvador and Hungary.
“Currently, many countries are struggling with even basic aspects of democracy,” stated IDEA Secretary General Kevin Casas-Zamora, recalling that “many of our formal institutions, such as parliaments, are weakening.”
Still, Casas-Zamora concedes that “there is hope that more informal checks and balances – from journalists to election organizers to anti-corruption commissioners – can successfully combat authoritarian and populist tendencies.”
Political participation – a measure of citizens’ level of engagement in democratic expression during and between elections – has increased in many countries, including Ethiopia, Zambia and Fiji.
At the same time, many established democracies have suffered setbacks in these important categories over the past five years, with declines in equality among social groups in the United States, press freedom in Austria, and access to justice in the United Kingdom.
The report recommends political actions to boost global democratic renewal, including support for independent courts or legal protection for institutions that monitor election transparency and bodies that investigate corruption.
Source: DN
