Democracy Tracker
The Democracy Tracker provides event-centric, monthly information on democracy and human rights developments in 173 countries. Event reports include a description of the event, indications of the specific aspects of democracy that have been impacted, the magnitude of the impact, links to original sources and keywords to enable further research. Click on the country hexagons below to read the most recent developments, or hover over to the country profiles menu at the top to access the full data and analysis of a specific country.
Positive and Negative Events in May 2024
Colombia
Czechia
Denmark
Fiji
India
Latvia
Liberia
Norway
Philippines
Sweden
United States of America
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Australia
Brazil
Burkina Faso
France
Israel
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Peru
Russian Federation
Slovakia
Spain
Togo
Zambia
*Assessments are relative to each country and do not represent comparisons or rankings between countries.
May 2022
Malaysia
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Critical Events in May 2024
Europe • Slovakia
On 15 May, a 71-year-old citizen, described as a poet and former security guard, shot Prime Minister Robert Fico multiple times when Fico was greeting supporters after a government meeting in Handlova. Despite being critically injured, Fico survived the shooting. The attacker has been charged with attempted premeditated murder. In a pre-trial detention statement, the shooter cited disagreements with the government policies as the motive for the attack. Politicians in Slovakia and international leaders have condemned the attack. The incident has raised concerns about the polarization of politics in Slovakia, with the interior minister criticizing media outlets and the opposition for their role in shaping public perception. This is Fico’s fourth term as prime minister.
Americas • Uruguay
An executive decree launched in Uruguay creates a special residency program based on family, or educational ties, which will also facilitate integration. The special residency program applies only to migrants who have been in the country for more than 180 days at the time of the decree's issuance. It is therefore aimed at regularizing the status of people who are already in the country. It will benefit over 20,000 foreigners, mostly Cubans, caught in a "migratory limbo" who entered the country as asylum seekers but stayed in Uruguay without being able to acquire legal residence. Additionally, it provides a process to permanent residency and eventually citizenship. The program will also facilitate family reunification, which is not possible for individuals who have an undefined legal status. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has praised the measure for recognizing migrants' humanitarian needs and strengthening pathways to stay legally in Uruguay. Migrants’ organizations support the measure, stating that it will help thousands stay legally in the country.
Asia and the Pacific • Taiwan
On 28 May, Taiwanese legislators passed a package of controversial reforms expanding the parliament’s power to scrutinize the incoming government. The reforms allow lawmakers to request information from various entities, criminalize ‘contempt of parliament’ by officials, and require the president to provide regular reports and answer lawmakers’ questions (a first for Taiwan) or face fines. The opposition Kuomintang (中國國民黨) (KMT) and Taiwan’s People’s Party (台灣民眾黨) (TPP) used their combined majority to push forward the bills just days before President Lai Chin-te’s inauguration, arguing that the bills would ensure checks and balances and allow the legislature to target corruption. Civil society, academics and legal scholars argue that the vague and overreaching amendments could be misused for partisan vendettas and compromise national security. Since 17 May, thousands of people have gathered outside the parliament to protest the reforms peacefully. Critics say the amendments were rushed through the legislature without proper deliberation. The bills do not take immediate effect and still require approval from the president and the Executive Yuan. The Democratic Progressive Party (民主進步黨) (DPP) will seek a Constitutional Court ruling on the legality of the passed reforms and will send the bills back to the Legislative Yuan for reconsideration.
Africa • Sudan
An intensification of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has prompted a UN expert to warn of genocide. El-Fasher, the last major urban area in Darfur controlled by the SAF, has been besieged by the RSF since April 2024. However, by May the security situation had significantly deteriorated, leaving the more-than one million people thought to be trapped in the city at risk of dying from a lack of food and medicine, being caught in the crossfire or becoming the targets of ethnic violence. Experts have warned that the fighting threatens to aggravate intercommunal conflict, predicting that the increasingly polarised environment could lead to large-scale ethnic killings. Among them was the UN’s Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, who in a UN Security Council briefing on 21 May stated that the risk of genocide in Sudan was ‘growing, every single day’.
About the Global State of Democracy Initiative
International IDEA launched the Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Initiative in 2016. This Initiative provides evidence-based and balanced analysis and data on the state and quality of democracy globally and for 173 countries across all regions of the world. It aims to contribute to the public debate on democracy and inform policy interventions to strengthen democracy.
Democracy Notes & Commentary
Slow and steady wins the race? Not always – and why democracies should be worried
June 18, 2024
Explainer: What has changed and what has stayed the same in Venezuela’s presidential election
June 11, 2024
What's at stake in Thailand's senate elections?
June 05, 2024
Monthly Event Reports
See all the information related to countries that have updates this month.
Africa
COD
SDN
ZAF
MDG
ZMB
TCD
LBR
TGO
MLI
BFA
ZWE
DZA
AGO
BEN
BWA
BDI
CMR
CAF
COM
CIV
CPV
DJI
EGY
GNQ
ERI
ETH
GAB
GMB
SWZ
GHA
GIN
GNB
KEN
LSO
LBY
MWI
MRT
MUS
MAR
MOZ
NAM
NER
NGA
COG
RWA
SEN
SLE
SOM
SSD
TZA
TUN
UGA
Americas
DOM
GTM
JAM
PAN
USA
BRA
COL
PER
ECU
URY
HTI
MEX
CAN
ARG
BRB
BOL
CHL
CRI
CUB
SLV
GUY
HND
NIC
PRY
SUR
TTO
VEN
Asia and the Pacific
KGZ
FJI
VUT
MMR
IDN
TWN
IND
PAK
NPL
AUS
PHL
LKA
MYS
TLS
AFG
JPN
BGD
BTN
KHM
CHN
PRK
KAZ
LAO
MDV
MNG
NZL
PNG
KOR
SGP
SLB
TJK
THA
TKM
UZB
VNM
Europe
RUS
UKR
MDA
CZE
SVK
MKD
DNK
GRC
TUR
LVA
LTU
SWE
NOR
FRA
ESP
HUN
GBR
KSV
ARM
CHE
ALB
AUT
AZE
BLR
BEL
BIH
BGR
HRV
CYP
EST
FIN
GEO
DEU
ISL
IRL
ITA
LUX
MLT
MNE
NLD
POL
PRT
ROU
SRB
SVN
Western Asia
ISR
KWT
PSE
IRQ
BHR
IRN
JOR
LBN
OMN
QAT
SAU
SYR
ARE
YEM
May 2022
Malaysia
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