Democracy Tracker
The Democracy Tracker provides comprehensive qualitative data on the state of democracy in 173 countries. The tool tracks events around the world and every month reports developments that signal changes in country performance across the Global State of Democracy’s five democracy attributes. Click on the country hexagons below to find the most recently reported developments. Some country pages are in the process of being populated. Please stay tuned.
Barbados
Burundi
Lithuania
Switzerland
Afghanistan
Algeria
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
Bolivia
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Burkina Faso
Chad
Cuba
France
India
Iran
Israel
Jordan
Mali
Mexico
Mongolia
Myanmar
Republic of Korea
Russian Federation
Spain
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
May 2022
Malaysia
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Critical Developments This Month
Asia and the Pacific • Mongolia
News that unnamed state officials had embezzled $12.8 billion in state coal revenue triggered mass protests in Ulaanbaatar on 4 December. The protests, which included a 5 December attempt to storm the Government Palace, reflect years of growing inequality and elite impunity during the country’s decade-long mining boom. The government has responded by declassifying documents relating to state-owned coal companies’ operations, but has so far resisted protester demands to release the names of the implicated officials.
Western Asia • Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Israel’s prime minister on 29 December, despite being currently on trial for corruption. The new government includes ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties that have pledged to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, with some ministers convicted for crimes such as tax fraud, corruption and terrorism. The Knesset approved several bills throughout December in preparation for Netanyahu's government, including amendments to the Basic Law, which had prevented those who have been sentenced to prison from holding a ministerial position, and extended authority to National Security Minister over Israeli police force and Civil Administration in West Bank. This will be the most right-wing government in Israel’s history, and analysts warn that some of the new legislation it has proposed will inflame conflict, damage the judiciary, and restrict minority rights. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara warned that the new government’s legislative program threatens to turn Israel into a “democracy in name, but not in essence.”
Europe • Russian Federation
Ilya Yashin, the highest-profile opposition politician to remain in Russia since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison on 9 December for “discrediting the Russian army.” Yashin had been a vocal critic of the Russian invasion, and had made numerous social media posts criticizing and publicizing the murders of Ukrainian civilians in Bucha by the Russian military before his arrest in July. Other opposition figures who have declined to emigrate have suffered similar consequences; Alexei Gorinov, a local Moscow politician, was sentenced on similar charges in July, and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a journalist and activist, has been detained since April and faces up to 24 years in prison on treason charges.
Americas • Peru
On 7 December, 101 out of 130 members of Congress voted to impeach then-President Pedro Castillo, soon after he announced the dissolution of Congress, alleging that the legislative body had been obstructing his ability to govern. Castillo had been the subject of multiple investigations by Congress and the Attorney General’s office for corruption-related offenses.
Castillo was detained and is facing criminal charges. He maintains his commitment to fulfilling his constitutional mandate as president and has sought political asylum in Mexico. Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, and Mexico have expressed their backing of Castillo.
Dina Boluarte, until then Vice-President, assumed the presidency on the evening of his impeachment.
Castillo’s supporters have protested throughout the country calling for early elections. On 14 December, Boluarte declared a country-wide state of emergency for 30 days and the suspension of rights with a view to restoring order. Violent clashes between protesters and police, particularly in the southern Andean region, have resulted in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.
About the Global State of Democracy Initiative
International IDEA launched the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Initiative in 2016. This Initiative provides evidence-based and balanced analysis and data on the state and quality of democracy globally and for 173 countries across all regions of the world. It aims to contribute to the public debate on democracy and inform policy interventions to strengthen democracy.
Monthly Updates
See all the information related to countries that have updates this month.
Asia and the Pacific
AFG
AUS
BGD
BTN
CHN
FJI
IDN
IND
JPN
KAZ
KGZ
KHM
KOR
LAO
LKA
MDV
MMR
MNG
MYS
NPL
NZL
PAK
PHL
PNG
PRK
SGP
SLB
THA
TJK
TKM
TLS
TWN
UZB
VNM
VUT
Africa
AGO
BDI
BEN
BFA
BWA
CAF
CIV
CMR
COD
COG
COM
CPV
DJI
DZA
EGY
ERI
ETH
GAB
GHA
GIN
GMB
GNB
GNQ
KEN
LBR
LBY
LSO
MAR
MDG
MLI
MOZ
MRT
MUS
MWI
NAM
NER
NGA
RWA
SDN
SEN
SLE
SOM
SSD
SWZ
TCD
TGO
TUN
TZA
UGA
ZAF
ZMB
ZWE
Europe
ALB
ARM
AUT
AZE
BEL
BGR
BIH
BLR
CHE
CYP
CZE
DEU
DNK
ESP
EST
FIN
FRA
GBR
GEO
GRC
HRV
HUN
IRL
ISL
ITA
KSV
LTU
LUX
LVA
MDA
MKD
MLT
MNE
NLD
NOR
POL
PRT
ROU
RUS
SRB
SVK
SVN
SWE
TUR
UKR
Western Asia
ARE
BHR
IRN
IRQ
ISR
JOR
KWT
LBN
OMN
PSE
QAT
SAU
SYR
YEM
Americas
ARG
BOL
BRA
BRB
CAN
CHL
COL
CRI
CUB
DOM
ECU
GTM
GUY
HND
HTI
JAM
MEX
NIC
PAN
PER
PRY
SLV
SUR
TTO
URY
USA
VEN
May 2022
Malaysia
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Funders and Donors
The Global State of Democracy Initiative is also supported by contributions of International IDEA Member States