2024 has been famed as the ‘Year of Elections,’ with more than 50 countries holding elections, meaning that over 40 per cent of the world’s population will be entitled to vote. However, many of these elections held will be fraudulent, causing people to ask the question: is democracy failing?
According to a recent report by Bertelsmann, democracy has slipped to its lowest standing in two decades in 2024. It hasn’t been long since the end of the Cold War, when democracy was regarded as the best way forward for the world. However, just a few decades later, we’re witnessing the erosion of a system that has been crucial to the freedoms and rights that are linked to free and fair electoral processes.
So, why is this happening? Firstly, in many countries, the gradual exploitation of the democratic system taking place is, leading to the rise of illiberal democracies, with electoral systems being manipulated. For example, Hungary is now considered an ‘electoral autocracy’ by the EU, as Viktor Órban wins a fourth consecutive term in office after a rigged election, representing the absence of democratic norms. This is also occurring in Belarus, where, in 2020, Aleksandr Lukashenko ran and won his seventh presidential election, with a turnout of 81 per cent.
Furthermore, the technological age has contributed massively to the decline of democracy, as the media censorship and the deliverance of digital propaganda have given autocracies the power to control and repress opposition and spread authoritarianism digitally. This has played a major role in China by maintaining its harsh autocratic regime. Therefore, the combination of this technological advancement and booming economic growth has meant China has been able to monopolise on the failure of Western countries to invest in emerging outlook economies.
However, the biggest threat to democracy in 2024 is the potential return of Donald Trump. In his first term, Trump dominated the Supreme Courts by appointing 3 court judges, the highest number of appointments since Reagan. Trump’s further federal appointments, his facilitation of far-right groups, including Unite the Right in Charlottesville, 2017, his high praise for authoritarian leaders such as Putin and Órban, and dislike for the CIA and FBI organisations, give us a sign of what may be to come if Trump is re-elected this autumn.
“Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.