Almost half of the world’s countries face the decline of their democratic systems, according to a background report on democracy in the world published on Thursday, reports AFP.

People on the street in Italy Photo: Alessandro Barone/Pacific Press/Shutterstock Editorial/Profimedia

“This is the sixth year in a row that we’ve seen more democracies decline than progress,” Michael Rooney, co-author of the report from IDEA International, an international institute for democracy and electoral assistance, told AFP.

He adds that the trend is the longest “democratic recession” the organization has seen since it began collecting data in 1975.

To prepare these reports and assess the state of democracies around the world, the think tank, which covers most of the world’s countries, uses several democratic indicators, such as civil liberties, independence of the judiciary and political participation.

According to the report, “the foundations of democracy are weakening around the world” and problems “range from ineffective elections to limited rights.”

Of the 173 countries surveyed, 85 performed poorly on at least “one key indicator of democratic performance over the past five years.”

In terms of representation, the report points to a “noticeable decline”, particularly in the areas of elections and the proper functioning of parliaments, as well as the rule of law, including the independence of judicial systems.

“Furthermore, we are witnessing the decline of democracies in Europe, North America and Asia that have historically been effective,” says Michael Rooney.

This wave of decline of democratic systems at the global level can be illustrated, among other things, by coups d’état on the African continent.

In the category of rights, the authors of the study indicate that freedom of expression and freedom of assembly have experienced some reductions, but minor ones overall.

According to the report, the rule of law is improving “after many years of stagnant levels of corruption.”

“We see signs of hope in isolated countries around the world,” such as in Central Europe or the African continent. “But overall, the picture remains very negative,” concluded Michael Rooney.