Democracy Index in Latin America

The pandemic derived from the coronavirus has had a negative impact around the world in terms of health, economy, transportation, human relations and political systems. For the first time since 2010, the Democracy Index by The Economist worsened in all regions. This 2020 installment revealed that less than 50% of the world's population lives under a democratic government.

The Sub-Saharan Africa region recorded the largest declines in “democracy levels”, particularly due to political instability in Mali and Ethiopia. And although Sudan is heading towards a democratic government, the difficulties of the transition prevent it from being considered as such. Europe and Latin America registered significant decreases, particularly in the issue of civil liberties, as a result of the numerous sanitary restrictions. In the midst of everything, the United States stands out, which fell one position in the index due to the political crisis surrounding the presidential elections, the final weeks of the Trump presidency and the dramatic situation experienced in the Capitol – heart and banner of democracy. US.

Throughout the world, civil liberties have been suppressed due to the pandemic (Portugal and France lost their status as "full democracies" due to health restrictions). Although this has been different in each country, the general trend is one of strong discontent as these continue to widen week after week, already sparking protests in the United States, Spain, France, Germany and Italy. Groups as varied as pandemic deniers, bankrupt merchants, and restrictions-weary citizens have defied restrictions that have dramatically altered their lives.

2021 promises to be another difficult year for democracy. Even with the start of the vaccination campaigns, the end of the pandemic is still in sight, as are the restrictions and the fears of some people that a government could use them as an excuse to curtail civil liberties under the argument of health social. Added to this problem, the pandemic has not put a complete pause on conflicts in the world. The recent coup in Myanmar, the suppression and detention of members of the Russian opposition, the protests in Belarus, the political instability in Ethiopia and the still tense situation in the United States after the events on the capitol indicate that democracy globally it is at its most fragile moment in decades.