Nearly half the world's countries are seeing the level of democracy decline, an international think tank said Thursday.
The Stockholm-based International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance said 85 out of 173 countries surveyed had"suffered a decline in at least one key indicator of democratic performance"And some countries with historically long democratic traditions are among them.
"This is the sixth year that we've seen more countries with democratic declines than improvements," its programme officer, Michael Runey, told AFP. He is one of the authors of"The Global State of Democracy 2023" report In the category of rule of law, there were improvements"after many years of stagnation in levels of corruption", though the picture was"not unambiguously positive", the report said.
"We're also seeing declines in historically high performing democracies in Europe and North America and in Asia," Runey said.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Hong Kong leader defends elections after largest pro-democracy party shut outThe Democratic party, the city’s largest pro-democracy party, failed to secure enough nominations under new rules introduced by authorities
Read more »
People in Vietnam and Cambodia have more faith in democracy than Australians, study showsNew research from a leading university has uncovered shifting attitudes towards democracy among Australians.
Read more »
Are Australians losing confidence in democracy?Satisfaction with democracy in Australia is falling behind that of its Indo-Pacific neighbours. That's one of the findings in a report from the Australian National University. And while confidence still remains high, researchers warn the data shows stability cannot be taken for granted.
Read more »
Hong Kong: over-the-top punishment for 2019 democracy protesters, report findsMore than 10,000 arrests and nearly 3,000 prosecutions, with 82% given jail including ‘extraordinary high’ proportion of children
Read more »
Australian Citizen Targeted in Hong Kong Pro-Democracy CrackdownAn Australian citizen, Kevin Yam, is among the dissidents targeted in Hong Kong's crackdown on the pro-democracy movement. Yam, along with two others, faces charges and accusations for their involvement in supporting the movement. Another Australian-Hong Kong dual citizen, Gordon Ng, has been imprisoned on national security charges.
Read more »
Israel Hamas Gaza: Dissent over Palestine shows a healthy Australian democracyWhen minorities in Australia take sides in foreign conflicts, it’s not out of a refusal to integrate. It is quite the opposite.
Read more »