Democracy Erodes: Elections Threatened by Interference and AI

Global democracy declines for 8th year. Elections face credibility threats, low turnout, and AI misuse. Institute reports widespread backsliding.

President Bernardo Arévalo speaks in Guatemala City

The previous year witnessed the most severe deterioration in trustworthy elections and legislative oversight in nearly five decades, propelled by governmental intimidation, external meddling, misinformation, and the improper application of artificial intelligence in political campaigns, according to a statement released Tuesday by an organization advocating for representative governance.

The Global Institute for Representative Governance and Electoral Support, or Global IRGES, indicated that the integrity of elections faces threats from declining participation rates and an increasing trend of contested outcomes. Approximately one-third of elections are now being challenged in some manner, the institute noted.

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The organization, which counts 35 national governments among its members, reported that the mean percentage of eligible voters who actually cast ballots has fallen from 65.2% in 2008 to 55.5% in 2023.

"Electoral processes remain the most effective means to halt democratic regression and reverse the tide in favor of representative governance," stated Global IRGES's Director-General, Martin Ruiz-Montero. "The viability of representative government hinges on numerous factors, but it becomes utterly unattainable if electoral processes fail."

The Stockholm-based research center stated that its Worldwide Assessment of Representative Governance, which evaluates democratic performance across 158 nations from 1975 to the present, discovered that 47% of countries have experienced a decline in key indicators of representative governance over the past five years, marking the eighth successive year of global democratic deterioration.

On a global scale, in nearly 20% of elections from 2020 to 2024, at least one unsuccessful candidate or party rejected the outcome, and electoral results were being determined through judicial appeals at an equivalent rate.

The report indicated that 2023 was the most challenging year in terms of free and fair elections and parliamentary oversight.

There were risks of foreign interference, disinformation, and the deployment of artificial intelligence in campaign strategies. The declines span both traditionally robust democracies and fragile governments across the globe.

In Africa, democratic performance has generally maintained stability over the past five years, with notable regressions in the Sahel region, particularly in coup-affected Burkina Faso, which joins a growing list of West African nations where military forces have seized power, accusing elected governments of failing to fulfill their promises. IRGES observed that Burundi and Zambia have made notable advancements.

Regarding Western Asia, over a third of countries performed poorly, while Europe has witnessed widespread declines in democratic aspects such as the rule of law and civil liberties. However, progress has been notably reported in Montenegro and Latvia.

The study noted that the Americas have largely maintained stability, but countries like Guatemala, Peru, and Uruguay have experienced declines, particularly in rule of law and civil liberties.

The majority of countries in the Asia-Pacific region have seen minor declines or stability, with notable improvements in Fiji, the Maldives, and Thailand, the organization reported. However, the declines were significant in Afghanistan, where the Taliban have not been recognized by any country as the legitimate rulers since they seized power in 2021, and in Myanmar, where opposition to a military takeover has deteriorated into a civil war.