Fragile Democracies

Several thousand supporters of Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro on Sundaydescended upon the country’s legislative halls, presidential palace, and supreme court in a chaotic display of political upheaval.

This unrest was strongly reminiscent of the Capitol riot on January 6 in the United States, with security forces taking roughly three hours to take back control of the situation, making at least 300 arrests.

At its core, this chaos can be traced to Bolsonaro’s followers’ refusal to accept the results of October’s presidential election, which saw leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva regain power. This resistance indicates a wider trend as democracies worldwide are increasingly being tested and pushed to their limits. Recent data published by Our World in Data highlights this struggle, showing how fragile democracy can be if it is not nurtured and preserved.

Protestors clashed with police officers who attempted to disperse them using tear gas and pepper spray; however, their efforts were hindered by some members of Congress themselves — some opening doors for protestors while others allowed them onto balconies in acts that seemed to suggest support for Bolsonaro’s cause. There were reports of serious injuries too, though authorities have yet to confirm this information.

In light of these events, Brazilian President Lula da Silva has promised swift action to restore peace and order across the country. He has asked Congress for “absolute commitment” from each one of his legislators in order to prevent similar situations from occurring again. For its part, Brazil’s Supreme Court issued a statement condemning the protests and reaffirming its commitment to upholding democracy across all regions of the country regardless of political affiliation or beliefs.

In recent years, the stability of democracies around the world has come into question. While the United States and Brazil have managed to hold onto their democratic institutions after events such as the Capitol riot and, more recently, in Brazil, an analysis collated by Our World in Data reveals how fragile these systems are. In 2000, 54 percent of people worldwide lived under some form of electoral or liberal democracy, which plummeted drastically to 32 percent by 2019. This sharp decrease was largely attributed to India‘s downgrade from Freedom House’s ‘partially free democracy’ rating to an ‘electoral autocracy’, following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election victory in 2014.

The fragility of democracy is also evident elsewhere across the globe. For example, according to Freedom House’s latest Nations in Transit report, 36 countries suffered declines in democratic governance over 2020 – far outnumbering the 13 countries that showed improvements during this time frame. This highlights how quickly democratic freedoms can be reversed even within established democracies. Also, The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index 2020 says that people’s lack of trust in government institutions leads to more political division and polarization across Europe. Because of this fear of taking risks, many countries have passed or thought about passing stricter laws that limit civil liberties and hurt basic rights like the freedom to speak and gather.

The importance of safeguarding democracies should not be underestimated – research from the World Justice Project (WJP) suggests that democratic safeguards are essential for protecting citizens from human rights violations such as arbitrary detention and torture. Without strong rule of law frameworks and judicial independence, it becomes difficult for citizens to access justice when their rights are infringed upon or violated by governments or other state actors. Furthermore, robust democracies are key for ensuring economic growth and prosperity; research from The Economic Impact of Democracy suggests that when citizens feel their voices are heard through democratic processes they feel more empowered to create businesses and spur growth within their local economies.

There is much at stake if we do not protect our democracies. If we let them move toward authoritarianism, we could lose our basic freedoms and put our economic security at risk. Therefore, it is essential that governments around the world prioritize strengthening existing mechanisms that safeguard democratic processes while promoting greater citizen participation, which will help ensure they remain resilient over time.

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