Democracy Tracker
The Democracy Tracker provides event-centric, monthly information on democracy and human rights developments in 173 countries. Event reports describe a change to the status-quo of the state of democracy at the country level. They include a description of the event, indications of the specific aspects of democracy that have been impacted, the magnitude of the impact, links to original sources and keywords to enable further research. Click on the country hexagons below to read the most recent developments, or hover over to the country profiles menu at the top to access the full data and analysis of a specific country.
Positive and Negative Events in March 2025
Namibia
Ecuador
Indonesia
Japan
Lebanon
New Zealand
Philippines
Poland
Republic of Moldova
Zimbabwe
Argentina
Azerbaijan
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
Costa Rica
Estonia
Guinea
Hungary
Israel
Kyrgyzstan
Mongolia
Nepal
North Macedonia
Palestine
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Russian Federation
South Sudan
Syrian Arab Republic
Tajikistan
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
United States of America
*Assessments are relative to each country and do not represent comparisons or rankings between countries.
May 2022
Malaysia
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Critical Events To Watch in March 2025
Europe • North Macedonia
A fire at a nightclub in Kočani on 16 March killed at least 59 people and injured over 150, mostly teenagers and young people, with the government declaring a rare seven-day period of national mourning. Over 100 of those injured required medical treatment abroad. The tragedy sparked public outrage and protests over alleged systemic failures linked to corruption, official negligence, and impunity, which compromised public safety. Authorities said that the nightclub lacked a proper operating license, did not meet security standards, and had only one accessible exit, which led to a stampede. Interior Minister Toshkovski stated that there were grounds to suspect a connection between corruption and the incident. At least 15 people were detained, including former Economy Minister Kreshnik Bekteshi, while the Mayor of Kočani resigned on moral grounds. Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski pledged accountability, vowing a thorough investigation and a reopening of past cases, such as the 2021 fire at the Tetovo Covid-19 hospital.
Asia and the Pacific • Philippines
On 11 March, authorities in the Philippines acting on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrested former President Rodrigo Duterte in Manila. Duterte faces charges of crimes against humanity related to the extrajudicial killings that occurred during his ‘war on drugs’ campaign between 2011 and 2019. Human rights experts have welcomed the arrest as a landmark step toward justice and in addressing the impunity surrounding drug-related killings. The ICC is scheduled to hold a confirmation of charges hearing on 23 September2025. Although Duterte had withdrawn the Philippines from the ICC in 2019, the ICC asserts that it still holds jurisdiction over crimes committed in the country before the withdrawal. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stated that the Philippines was fulfilling its legal obligations by cooperating, emphasizing that "this is what the international community expects of us."
Africa • South Sudan
On 26 March, First Vice-President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest by security forces, accused of inciting rebellion to derail the peace process. The move prompted fears of renewed civil war. Machar’s party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement In Opposition (SPLM-IO), said the arrest violated the 2018 peace deal, which it declared had collapsed. Other senior SPLM-IO figures were also detained and replaced by President Salva Kiir loyalists. The move followed 4 March clashes, when the White Army, a Machar-linked militia, attacked army positions in Upper Nile. Government forces responded with airstrikes on civilian areas, reportedly using barrel bombs, causing causalities and displacing at least 63,000 people. The crisis deepened with Uganda’s deployment of troops and tanks into South Sudan, raising concerns over arms embargo breaches and foreign interference. In February, Kiir dismissed two vice-presidents and promoted his adviser Benjamin Bol Mel, positioning him as a likely successor.
Americas • United States of America
The Trump administration has turned to controversial legal grounds for expediting deportations, undercutting due process for hundreds of undocumented migrants. On 15 March, Trump signed a proclamation designating the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to summarily apprehend, detain and deport Venezuelans 14 years or older. That day, three planes carrying over 200 Venezuelans landed in El Salvador; the migrants have since been detained in a mega-prison, despite a judge’s order to stop and return the planes. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Trump to invoke the Alien Enemies Act, but ruled that migrants must still be given notice and time to challenge their deportation.Also on a 15 March flight was Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran man with a court protection from removal to El Salvador. Officials concede he was deported in error. In April the Supreme Court upheld a judge’s order to ‘facilitate’ Abrego’s return , but officials claim his return is not possible as he is now outside U.S. jurisdiction.
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Democracy Notes & Commentary
Despite court rulings, Romania still risks seeing an extremist as president – leading academic
April 01, 2025
Declaring a constitutional crisis is futile: The substance of democracy is what matters
March 26, 2025
Explainer: The Impact of Argentina’s Chainsaw on Memory, Truth, and Justice Policies
March 04, 2025
Monthly Event Reports
See all the information related to countries that have updates this month.
Africa
CMR
TCD
MOZ
BDI
ETH
SSD
UGA
BEN
BFA
GIN
NAM
TUN
ZWE
ZAF
MDG
DZA
AGO
BWA
CAF
COM
CIV
CPV
COD
DJI
EGY
GNQ
ERI
GAB
GMB
SWZ
GHA
GNB
KEN
LSO
LBR
LBY
MWI
MLI
MRT
MUS
MAR
NER
NGA
COG
RWA
SEN
SLE
SOM
SDN
TZA
TGO
ZMB
Americas
CRI
PAN
PER
TTO
ARG
ECU
USA
MEX
CAN
HTI
BRB
BOL
BRA
CHL
COL
CUB
DOM
SLV
GTM
GUY
HND
JAM
NIC
PRY
SUR
URY
VEN
Asia and the Pacific
KOR
JPN
MNG
PHL
KGZ
TJK
PNG
VUT
NZL
MYS
IDN
NPL
TWN
LKA
MMR
TLS
AFG
AUS
BGD
BTN
KHM
CHN
PRK
FJI
IND
KAZ
LAO
MDV
PAK
SGP
SLB
THA
TKM
UZB
VNM
Europe
MKD
BGR
HUN
RUS
MDA
AZE
ITA
TUR
GBR
POL
EST
ESP
UKR
KSV
ARM
CHE
SVK
ALB
AUT
BLR
BEL
BIH
HRV
CYP
CZE
DNK
FIN
FRA
GEO
DEU
GRC
ISL
IRL
LVA
LTU
LUX
MLT
MNE
NLD
NOR
PRT
ROU
SRB
SVN
SWE
Western Asia
PSE
SYR
LBN
ISR
IRQ
BHR
IRN
JOR
KWT
OMN
QAT
SAU
ARE
YEM
May 2022
Malaysia
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