The Covid-19 pandemic is not without consequences for the state of democracy in the world. More than six out of ten countries have taken problematic measures in terms of human rights or democratic rules, according to a report published this Wednesday by the non-governmental organization (NGO) International IDEA, which promotes democracy.
The study, which covers almost all the countries of the world, concludes that 61% of them have taken measures considered “illegal, disproportionate, without time limit or not necessary” in at least one area relating to democratic freedoms.
For the regimes considered democratic, they are 43% to fall in this category, while they are 90% among the authoritarian regimes, according to the NGO based in Stockholm (Sweden), specializing in the state of democracy in the world .
The health efficiency of the measures is not taken into account
If the conclusions were predictable for authoritarian regimes, “what is more surprising is that so many democracies have taken measures which are problematic”, affirms the secretary general of the NGO, Kevin Casas-Zamora. It is India, the largest democracy in the world in terms of number of inhabitants, which emerges at the top of the world ranking, with measures deemed “worrying” in 9 of the 22 areas analyzed (freedom of movement, expression, the press etc.), ahead of Algeria and Bangladesh.
China, Egypt, Malaysia and Cuba follow. Russia is Europe’s top nation, with six areas of concern, as are Saudi Arabia, Burma, Jordan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.
The NGO sifted through the various measures taken around the world to determine if they were problematic, from a purely democratic point of view and without taking into account health efficiency. In the European Union, five countries are mentioned: Bulgaria (3 areas), Hungary (2) as well as Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia (1). Among the major Western democracies, only the United States is pinned, in two areas. Israel (5) and Argentina (2) are also among the poor performers.
Some countries have good political and medical results
Restrictions on press freedom in the name of the fight against disinformation, excessive use of force (deployment of soldiers to apply the rules, internment camps for sick people, etc.), corruption in emergency supply contracts or Still questioning migrants as responsible for the epidemic are among the most frequent concerns, explains Kevin Casas-Zamora.
But the study also praises countries as models, combining good health results and respect for democratic rules. Thus greeted are Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Taiwan, Uruguay, Cyprus, Japan, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
Original article by : www.leparisien.fr