Democracy news covering threats to democratic institutions, voting rights, election integrity, authoritarianism, and democratic health in the US and abroad.
This commentary argues that personality cults pose a grave threat to democracy, drawing on Jawaharlal Nehru's anonymous 1937 essay 'The Rashtrapati' and B.R. Ambedkar's warnings. It contends that devotion to leaders stunts democratic growth by eroding citizen participation and vigilance, urging readers to keep devotion out of politics.
Fintan O'Toole argues that the Irish Government must be transparent and truthful, criticizing its handling of the Aughinish Alumina investigation. He contends that the government's refusal to publish the full report and its misleading statements undermine democratic accountability and informed consent.
President John Agyekum Kufuor called on political actors to safeguard Ghana's democratic institutions, warning that electoral victories do not grant ownership of the state. Speaking at the 2026 Busia Institute Lecture in London, he emphasized that Parliament, judiciary, media, and other bodies must operate effectively to protect democracy.
In this commentary, Noxolo Mfocwa argues that women's democratic participation in South Africa is undermined by manipulated information ecosystems. She contends that true democracy requires information integrity, and that women, who bear disproportionate caregiving and community responsibilities, are especially vulnerable to misinformation. She calls for recognizing information integrity as a feminist issue.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo expressed concern that the judiciary's growing role in determining election outcomes undermines democracy, saying the essence of democracy is compromised when votes are decided by judges rather than the electorate.
In this podcast episode, host Jonah Goldberg interviews Nobel laureate economist Daron Acemoglu about the state of liberal democracy, covering topics such as community, subsidiarity, the welfare state, AI, automation, China, and the working class. The conversation explores challenges to democratic institutions and economic inequality, offering Acemoglu's expert perspective on these issues.
Dennis Portman argues that while foreign interference in elections warrants investigation, Romania's annulment of the presidential election lacked transparency and public accountability. He contends that the US, as a strategic partner, should uphold democratic principles by insisting on clear legal standards and procedures, rather than prioritizing geopolitical preferences.
At a democracy dialogue in Nigeria, NDC Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia cautioned that Ghana's democratic gains could be reversed if not protected. He cited peaceful power transfers since 1992 but warned of threats like election violence, urging vigilance.
This commentary reviews Justin Gest's book 'Democratic Drain', which examines why people emigrate from less democratic states to more democratic ones. The author uses an anecdote from Bosnia to illustrate the appeal of democratic societies, suggesting that emigration can undermine democracy in origin countries. The piece argues that the book offers valuable insights into the relationship between migration and democratic stability.
This commentary argues that revolutions are often triggered by seemingly minor sparks, as seen in Bangladesh's job quota protests and Nepal's social media ban, which ignited broader uprisings against authoritarianism and inequality. It contends that oppressive states, overconfident in their power, fail to address these sparks until it is too late.