Skip to main content
Menu Menu Close
Africa
Americas
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Western Asia

Democracy Tracker

The Democracy Tracker provides monthly, qualitative data on key events with the potential to impact the state of democracy and human rights in 173 countries. The tool highlights how each event affects specific aspects of democracy and provides users with context-based analysis. Click on the country hexagons below to read the most recent developments.

Positive and Negative Events in August 2023

positive
Australia Arrow Australia
positive
Bulgaria Arrow Bulgaria
positive
Chile Arrow Chile
positive
Czechia Arrow Czechia
positive
Ecuador Arrow Ecuador
positive
Norway Arrow Norway
positive
Taiwan Arrow Taiwan
positive
Ukraine Arrow Ukraine
positive
United States of America Arrow United States of America
negative
Bolivia Arrow Bolivia
negative
Bosnia and Herzegovina Arrow Bosnia and Herzegovina
negative
Brazil Arrow Brazil
negative
Cyprus Arrow Cyprus
negative
Democratic Republic of the Congo Arrow Democratic Republic of the Congo
negative
El Salvador Arrow El Salvador
negative
Ethiopia Arrow Ethiopia
negative
Gabon Arrow Gabon
negative
Iraq Arrow Iraq
negative
Kyrgyzstan Arrow Kyrgyzstan
negative
Nicaragua Arrow Nicaragua
negative
Papua New Guinea Arrow Papua New Guinea
negative
Russian Federation Arrow Russian Federation
negative
Saudi Arabia Arrow Saudi Arabia
negative
Sierra Leone Arrow Sierra Leone
negative
Solomon Islands Arrow Solomon Islands
negative
Somalia Arrow Somalia
negative
Tanzania Arrow Tanzania
negative
UK Arrow UK
negative
Venezuela Arrow Venezuela
negative
Zimbabwe Arrow Zimbabwe

*Assessments are relative to each country and do not represent comparisons or rankings between countries.

Flag
May 2022

Malaysia

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin consequat augue non efficitur fermentum. Proin eu...

Representation
Rights
Rule of Law
Participation

Critical Events in August 2023

Europe • Bosnia and Herzegovina

The European Court of Human Rights found that territorial and ethnic rules applicable in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH)’s state-level elections are discriminatory, violating the general prohibition of discrimination in the European Convention of Human Rights. BiH’s Constitution defines a power-sharing arrangement whereby the three “constituent peoples” (the Bosniaks, Croats and Serbs) are equally represented in the House of Peoples (a parliamentary chamber) and the tripartite presidency. People outside the three dominant ethnic groups are not included in these arrangements and cannot be elected to these institutions. The ruling held that elections are “undemocratic” because they entrench advantages of the main ethnic groups over others. The case was brought by Slaven Kovačević, an adviser to a member of BiH's Presidency who is not affiliated with any ethnic group, who argued he was not genuinely represented in the 2022 elections.

Africa • Gabon

Gabon held elections for the president, members of the national assembly, and municipal councils on 26 August. The election took place without any international observers, and the government instituted both an Internet shutdown and a curfew as the polls closed. The official result was announced by the electoral commission on 30 August, giving President Ali Bongo Ondimba a third term as he was said to have received 64.3 per cent of the vote, well ahead of the leading opposition candidate Albert Ondo Ossa, who received 30.7 per cent. Opposition parties alleged that the official result was fraudulent. Shortly after the electoral commission’s announcement, factions of the military led by General Brice Oligui Nguema staged a coup d’état and removed President Ali Bongo Ondimba from power. In a televised address, coup leaders announced that the recent election was annulled, and that government institutions had been dissolved, including the legislature and the Constitutional Court. President Bongo was detained for a week after the coup. General Oligui was sworn in as the interim president on 4 September, promising elections but not specifying a timeline for a return to civilian rule. The coup was condemned by the international community, and Gabon was suspended from the African Union.

Asia and the Pacific • Thailand

On 22 August, Thailand's parliament elected Srettha Thavisin from the opposition Pheu Thai Party (PTP) as the new prime minister, concluding a three-month political impasse. This followed failed attempts by Move Forward Party's (MFP) leader, Pita Limjaroenrat, to secure sufficient support for the position from a military-appointed Senate after winning a plurality in the May polls. Before the failed bid, MFP and PTP had taken steps to form an eight-party coalition. Srettha's election coincides with PTP's decision to form an 11-party coalition that includes two pro-military parties. Move Forward Party was excluded due to its commitment to reform the royal defamation law. Political analysts have expressed uncertainty about Srettha's ability to govern effectively due to PTP's “numerical disadvantage compared to conservative partners in the coalition.” Srettha, considered a "political newcomer," has vowed to address income inequality, LGBTQIA+ rights, and corruption.  

Americas • Ecuador

In a referendum held on 20 August, over 58 per cent of voters chose to stop oil extraction in the Yasuni National Park, a UN protected biosphere located in the Amazon. In a second referendum, Ecuadorians also voted to ban all extraction activities in the Choco Andino tropical rainforest, near Quito, with around 68 per cent of support.  Efforts to contain oil production in the Amazon had been spearheaded by Indigenous Peoples and environmental activists, many of them young people, for years. Officials across several administrations and the state’s oil company, Petroecuador, had argued that an end to oil development in Yasuni, would lead to austerity measures with a negative impact on the economy. Petroecuador will have to dismantle its oil processing facilities and provide for reparations.  According to Human Rights Watch, the vote on the Yasuni is the first time a referendum had resulted in a ban on new and pre-existing fossil fuel exploration. Turnout for this referendum neared 83 per cent. Notably, the decision will benefit the Taromenane, Tagaeri and Dugakaeri peoples, who choose to live in isolation in the region, as the drilling activities impacted the quality of their water and resources. Environmental activists have organized to demand the government’s compliance with the referendum as, following the results, officials, including incumbent president Lasso, as well as the candidate currently leading in polls to succeed him, have expressed reservations about the government’s ability to implement the results in the given timeline. 

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 Event Reports

See all the information related to countries that have updates this month.

Africa

negative
Arrow COD
negative
Arrow GAB
negative
Arrow ETH
negative
Arrow SOM
neutral
Arrow SSD
negative
Arrow TZA
neutral
Arrow UGA
neutral
Arrow TUN
negative
Arrow ZWE
negative
Arrow SLE
without report
Arrow ZAF
without report
Arrow MDG
without report
Arrow DZA
without report
Arrow AGO
without report
Arrow BEN
without report
Arrow BWA
without report
Arrow BFA
without report
Arrow BDI
without report
Arrow CMR
without report
Arrow CAF
without report
Arrow TCD
without report
Arrow COM
without report
Arrow CIV
without report
Arrow CPV
without report
Arrow DJI
without report
Arrow EGY
without report
Arrow GNQ
without report
Arrow ERI
without report
Arrow GMB
without report
Arrow SWZ
without report
Arrow GHA
without report
Arrow GIN
without report
Arrow GNB
without report
Arrow KEN
without report
Arrow LSO
without report
Arrow LBR
without report
Arrow LBY
without report
Arrow MWI
without report
Arrow MLI
without report
Arrow MRT
without report
Arrow MUS
without report
Arrow MAR
without report
Arrow MOZ
without report
Arrow NAM
without report
Arrow NER
without report
Arrow NGA
without report
Arrow COG
without report
Arrow RWA
without report
Arrow SEN
without report
Arrow SDN
without report
Arrow TGO
without report
Arrow ZMB
View all

Americas

positive
Arrow USA
positive
Arrow CHL
neutral
Arrow HTI
neutral
Arrow GTM
negative
Arrow SLV
negative
Arrow NIC
negative
Arrow BOL
negative
Arrow BRA
neutral
Arrow COL
positive
Arrow ECU
negative
Arrow VEN
neutral
Arrow ARG
without report
Arrow MEX
without report
Arrow CAN
without report
Arrow BRB
without report
Arrow CRI
without report
Arrow CUB
without report
Arrow DOM
without report
Arrow GUY
without report
Arrow HND
without report
Arrow JAM
without report
Arrow PAN
without report
Arrow PRY
without report
Arrow PER
without report
Arrow SUR
without report
Arrow TTO
without report
Arrow URY
View all

Asia and the Pacific

negative
Arrow KGZ
neutral
Arrow KAZ
positive
Arrow TWN
negative
Arrow PNG
negative
Arrow SLB
neutral
Arrow NZL
positive
Arrow AUS
neutral
Arrow MYS
neutral
Arrow BGD
neutral
Arrow IDN
neutral
Arrow PAK
neutral
Arrow NPL
neutral
Arrow IND
neutral
Arrow MDV
neutral
Arrow THA
without report
Arrow LKA
without report
Arrow MMR
without report
Arrow TLS
without report
Arrow AFG
without report
Arrow JPN
without report
Arrow BTN
without report
Arrow KHM
without report
Arrow CHN
without report
Arrow PRK
without report
Arrow FJI
without report
Arrow LAO
without report
Arrow MNG
without report
Arrow PHL
without report
Arrow KOR
without report
Arrow SGP
without report
Arrow TJK
without report
Arrow TKM
without report
Arrow UZB
without report
Arrow VUT
without report
Arrow VNM
View all

Europe

positive
Arrow BGR
neutral
Arrow LVA
neutral
Arrow LTU
neutral
Arrow SVK
positive
Arrow CZE
neutral
Arrow AZE
positive
Arrow UKR
neutral
Arrow NLD
neutral
Arrow FRA
negative
Arrow GBR
neutral
Arrow BEL
positive
Arrow NOR
neutral
Arrow GRC
neutral
Arrow ESP
negative
Arrow CYP
negative
Arrow BIH
negative
Arrow RUS
without report
Arrow HUN
without report
Arrow KSV
without report
Arrow TUR
without report
Arrow ARM
without report
Arrow CHE
without report
Arrow ALB
without report
Arrow AUT
without report
Arrow BLR
without report
Arrow HRV
without report
Arrow DNK
without report
Arrow EST
without report
Arrow FIN
without report
Arrow GEO
without report
Arrow DEU
without report
Arrow ISL
without report
Arrow IRL
without report
Arrow ITA
without report
Arrow LUX
without report
Arrow MLT
without report
Arrow MDA
without report
Arrow MNE
without report
Arrow MKD
without report
Arrow POL
without report
Arrow PRT
without report
Arrow ROU
without report
Arrow SRB
without report
Arrow SVN
without report
Arrow SWE
View all

Western Asia

neutral
Arrow BHR
negative
Arrow IRQ
neutral
Arrow SYR
negative
Arrow SAU
without report
Arrow IRN
without report
Arrow ISR
without report
Arrow JOR
without report
Arrow KWT
without report
Arrow LBN
without report
Arrow OMN
without report
Arrow PSE
without report
Arrow QAT
without report
Arrow ARE
without report
Arrow YEM
View all
Flag
May 2022

Malaysia

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin consequat augue non efficitur fermentum. Proin eu...

Representation
Rights
Rule of Law
Participation

Stay updated on the Global State of Democracy

Get the latest Democracy Tracker developments delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for the Democracy Tracker monthly newsletter

Contact Us

Send us a message with your questions or feedback.

Funders and Donors

The European Union Federal Ministry for Economic Coorperation and Development Robert Bosch Stiftung
The Global State of Democracy Initiative is also supported by contributions of International IDEA Member States