India's descent from 'electoral democracy' to 'electoral autocracy'

The share of the world population living in autocracies has increased to 68% from 48%. Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, and Turkey are among the list of top 10 decliners. Poland takes a dubious first place and three new nations join this group: Benin, Bolivia, and Mauritius. Six of the top-10 decliners became autocracies. India is in the seventh position.

Hyderabad:In the wake of increasing centralisation andauthoritarianismby the Central government, India has been termed as an 'Electoral Autocracy' in the annual report from Sweden-based V-Dem Institute.

“Electoral autocracy remains the most common regime type. Together with closed autocracies, the number 87 states, home to 68% of the world population. The world’s largest democracy turned into an electoral autocracy that is India with 1.37 billion citizens. Liberal democracies diminished over the past decade from 41 countries to 32, with a population share of only 14%,” the report read.

It also mentions that the “third wave of autocratization” accelerates, now pour-over 25 countries and 34% of the world population (2.6 billion).

Over the last 10 years, the number of democratizing countries dropped by almost half to 16, hosting a mere 4% of the global population.

The pandemic’s direct effects on comprehensive levels of liberal democracy were limited in 2020 whose longer-term consequences may be worse. This shows an accelerating wave of autocratization pour-over 25 nations that hold 1/3 of the world’s population – 2.6 billion people. Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, Turkey, and the United States of America are part of this drift.

The share of the world population living in autocracies has increased to 68% from 48%. Several G20 nations such as Brazil, India, and Turkey are among the list of top 10 decliners. Poland takes a dubious first place and three new nations join this group: Benin, Bolivia, and Mauritius. Six of the top-10 decliners became autocracies. India is in the seventh position.

Autocratization typically follows a similar pattern. Ruling governments first attack the media and civil society, and polarize societies by disrespecting opponents and spreading false information, sets irrational propaganda only to then undermine formal institutions.

“The threat to freedom of expression and media intensifies. 32 countries are declining substantially, compared to only 19 just three years ago. Freedom of expression and the media make 8 of the 10 indicators declining in the greatest number of countries over the past 10 years. Suppression of civil society is also intensifying”, was written in the report.

While the world is still more democratic than it was in the 1970s and 1980s, the global decline of liberal democracy continues in 2020. To put this into perspective, the level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen in 2020 is down to the levels around 1990. Electoral autocracies continue to be the most common regime type.

A major change is that the world’s largest democracy turned into an electoral autocracy: India with 1.37 billion people.

Together, electoral and closed autocracies are home to 68% of the world’s population. Meanwhile, the number of liberal democracies is decreasing to 32, with a population share of only 14%. Electoral democracies account for 60 nations and the remaining 19% of the population.

There are alarming reports of harassment of journalists covering Covid-19 in India, 10 which is now an electoral autocracy.

India's LDI declines from 0.57 in 2010 to 0.34 in 2020, following the government led by Prime Minister Modi placing restrictions on multiple facets of democracy such as civil society and free speech.

The report also mentioned that Modi and his party have also placed constraints on civil society and have gone against the constitution’s commitment to secularism.

Recently, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) from 1967 and amended in August 2019 is being used to harass, intimidate, and imprison political opponents, as well as people mobilizing to protest government policies. The UAPA has been used also to silence dissent in academia.

Universities and authorities have also punished students and activists in universities engaging in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). It makes it possible for illegal immigrants that are Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi or Christian to become citizens while denying it to Muslims. Arguably, the bill violates the constitution, which prohibits discrimination by religion.

The Polish Law and Justice Party (PiS), the Hungarian Fidesz Party, and the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP) were still loyal, democratic parties around 2000, while the Indian Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) already assented to some level of anti-pluralism at that point.

The data demonstrate how all four parties turned to unyielding antipluralism over the past 20 years, reminiscent of ruling parties in pure autocracies. In the wake of this, all four countries became increasingly autocratic and Turkey lost its status as a democracy in 2014, followed by Hungary in 2018, and India in 2019.