Interested in joining us as a guest blogger for Democracy Notes?
Send your proposal
Menu Menu Close
Africa
View Regional Page
Americas
View Regional Page
Asia and the Pacific
View Regional Page
Europe
View Regional Page
Western Asia
View Regional Page

Democracy Tracker

The Democracy Tracker provides event-centric, monthly information on democracy and human rights developments in 173 countries. Event reports describe a change to the status-quo of the state of democracy at the country level. They 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.

1

Get customized monthly alerts straight to your inbox!

Sign up to tell us which countries, regions, or topics you want to hear
about every month!

Sign up

Positive and Negative Events in December 2024

+1
Belgium Arrow Belgium
+1
Bulgaria Arrow Bulgaria
+1
Colombia Arrow Colombia
+1
Ecuador Arrow Ecuador
+1
Lithuania Arrow Lithuania
+1
Malawi Arrow Malawi
+1
Norway Arrow Norway
+1
Romania Arrow Romania
+1
Zimbabwe Arrow Zimbabwe
-1
Albania Arrow Albania
-1
Azerbaijan Arrow Azerbaijan
-1
Belarus Arrow Belarus
-1
Bolivia Arrow Bolivia
-1
Burundi Arrow Burundi
-1
Cameroon Arrow Cameroon
-1
Canada Arrow Canada
-1
Georgia Arrow Georgia
-1
Guinea Arrow Guinea
-1
Italy Arrow Italy
-1
Mexico Arrow Mexico
-1
Mozambique Arrow Mozambique
-1
Namibia Arrow Namibia
-1
New Zealand Arrow New Zealand
-1
Niger Arrow Niger
-1
Pakistan Arrow Pakistan
-1
Russian Federation Arrow Russian Federation
-1
Serbia Arrow Serbia
-1
Sierra Leone Arrow Sierra Leone
-1
Sudan Arrow Sudan
-1
Trinidad and Tobago Arrow Trinidad and Tobago

*Assessments are relative to each country and do not represent comparisons or rankings between countries.

Flag
May 2022

Malaysia

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin consequat augue non efficitur fermentum. Proin eu...

Representation
Rights
Rule of Law
Participation

Critical Events in December 2024

Asia and the Pacific • Republic of Korea

On 3 December, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared emergency martial law in the country for the first time in 45 years. It remains unclear why martial law was imposed as South Korea’s constitution only permits its use during “wartime, war-like situations or other comparable national emergency states.” Yoon defended his action as a “legitimate act of governance” and accused opposition lawmakers of pro-North Korean anti-state activities. Political analysts, however, note that these claims appear baseless and his action was in response to the opposition-controlled parliament’s failure to pass his budgets. However, Yoon revoked the order hours later after lawmakers, amid mass protests, voted down the decree. On 14 December, the National Assembly voted to impeach Yoon, arguing he had acted unconstitutionally. This is the second time a president has faced impeachment proceedings in less than a decade. Yoon remains suspended until the Constitutional Court rules to either reinstate him or remove him from office permanently. Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo, who stepped in to serve as acting president, was also impeached on 27 December, accused of participating in Yoon’s martial law imposition. Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok is currently the acting president.
Protests
Yoon Suk-yeol
Martial law
SDG16

Western Asia • Syrian Arab Republic

On 8 December, President Bashar al-Assad’s government was overthrown by armed opposition forces, ending 54 years of Assad family rule. The offensive, launched on 27 November and led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) alongside Turkish-backed factions, quickly seized control of key cities, including Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus. Assad fled to Moscow and the Baath Party announced the suspension of its activities. Thousands of people gathered in the streets in cities across the country to celebrate the fall of the regime. Approximately 2,000 prisoners were released from the Sednaya prison, a military facility infamous for reports of detention, torture, and executions during the civil war. HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has since emerged as Syria's de facto head of state, forming an interim government led by Prime Minister Mohamed al-Bashir and former ministers from the Syrian Salvation Government in Idlib. The new authorities have suspended the constitution and parliament, declaring a transition period until 1 March 2025.
Bashar al-Assad
Transitional Process
SDG16
Ahmed al-Sharaa

Americas • Ecuador

On 5 December, the Constitutional Court issued a historic ruling, finding that the Furukawa Plantaciones company, a Japanese enterprise, violated the prohibition of slavery by subjecting hundreds of its workers at abaca plantations to a system known as "servidumbre de la gleba". A contemporary form of slavery, the gleba kept hundreds of workers in inhumane conditions without access to basic services, and tied to the company for decades through facade rent agreements and other mechanisms. The Court declared that the company, operating in the country since the 1960s, took advantage of workers, mostly of African descent, in extremely vulnerable situations. The Court further condemned the Ecuadorean government for failing to prevent and enabling the abuse. The Court ordered Furukawa to pay compensation, and the state to develop policies and legal reforms to end the gleba. The company has contested the court's decision and claimed it cannot afford the ordered reparations without risking closure. 
Judiciary
Accountability
SDG16

Europe • Georgia

Georgia’s parliament inaugurated Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country’s new president on 29 December in a process met by public protests and condemned as illegitimate by the political opposition, the outgoing president Salome Zourabichivili, and much of Georgian civil society. The inauguration marks a new phase in Georgian politics, where the opposition and the government no longer recognize each other’s political or legal legitimacy. Kavelashvili was elected in a parliamentary session boycotted by opposition MPs. Critics hold that the October 2024 election was irreparably marred by irregularities and signs of tampering by the victorious Georgian Dream and call for a rerun. The final report from the OSCE election monitoring mission released on 27 December echoed these concerns, finding “reports of intimidation, coercion, inducement, and pressure on voters,” raising concerns about “the ability of some voters to freely form their opinions and cast their votes without fear of retribution.”
Protests
SDG16
Salome Zourabichvili
Mikheil Kavelashvili

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.

Monthly Event Reports

See all the information related to countries that have updates this month.

Africa

-1
Arrow BDI
0
Arrow GMB
0
Arrow GHA
0
Arrow EGY
0
Arrow MAR
-1
Arrow GIN
-1
Arrow NER
-1
Arrow CMR
-1
Arrow SDN
-1
Arrow MOZ
+1
Arrow ZWE
+1
Arrow MWI
0
Arrow TCD
-1
Arrow SLE
-1
Arrow NAM
without report
Arrow ZAF
without report
Arrow MDG
without report
Arrow DZA
without report
Arrow AGO
without report
Arrow BEN
without report
Arrow BWA
without report
Arrow BFA
without report
Arrow CAF
without report
Arrow COM
without report
Arrow CIV
without report
Arrow CPV
without report
Arrow COD
without report
Arrow DJI
without report
Arrow GNQ
without report
Arrow ERI
without report
Arrow ETH
without report
Arrow GAB
without report
Arrow SWZ
without report
Arrow GNB
without report
Arrow KEN
without report
Arrow LSO
without report
Arrow LBR
without report
Arrow LBY
without report
Arrow MLI
without report
Arrow MRT
without report
Arrow MUS
without report
Arrow NGA
without report
Arrow COG
without report
Arrow RWA
without report
Arrow SEN
without report
Arrow SOM
without report
Arrow SSD
without report
Arrow TZA
without report
Arrow TGO
without report
Arrow TUN
without report
Arrow UGA
without report
Arrow ZMB
View all

Americas

-1
Arrow TTO
-1
Arrow MEX
-1
Arrow CAN
+1
Arrow COL
0
Arrow CHL
+1
Arrow ECU
0
Arrow PER
-1
Arrow BOL
without report
Arrow HTI
without report
Arrow ARG
without report
Arrow BRB
without report
Arrow BRA
without report
Arrow CRI
without report
Arrow CUB
without report
Arrow DOM
without report
Arrow SLV
without report
Arrow GTM
without report
Arrow GUY
without report
Arrow HND
without report
Arrow JAM
without report
Arrow NIC
without report
Arrow PAN
without report
Arrow PRY
without report
Arrow SUR
without report
Arrow USA
without report
Arrow URY
without report
Arrow VEN
View all

Asia and the Pacific

-1
Arrow PAK
-1
Arrow NZL
0
Arrow KOR
without report
Arrow TWN
without report
Arrow LKA
without report
Arrow MYS
without report
Arrow MMR
without report
Arrow TLS
without report
Arrow AFG
without report
Arrow JPN
without report
Arrow AUS
without report
Arrow BGD
without report
Arrow BTN
without report
Arrow KHM
without report
Arrow CHN
without report
Arrow PRK
without report
Arrow FJI
without report
Arrow IND
without report
Arrow IDN
without report
Arrow KAZ
without report
Arrow KGZ
without report
Arrow LAO
without report
Arrow MDV
without report
Arrow MNG
without report
Arrow NPL
without report
Arrow PNG
without report
Arrow PHL
without report
Arrow SGP
without report
Arrow SLB
without report
Arrow TJK
without report
Arrow THA
without report
Arrow TKM
without report
Arrow UZB
without report
Arrow VUT
without report
Arrow VNM
View all

Europe

+1
Arrow LTU
0
Arrow POL
-1
Arrow GEO
+1
Arrow ROU
-1
Arrow AZE
-1
Arrow BLR
+1
Arrow NOR
-1
Arrow RUS
0
Arrow HRV
0
Arrow MKD
-1
Arrow ALB
-1
Arrow ITA
0
Arrow AUT
+1
Arrow BEL
-1
Arrow SRB
+1
Arrow BGR
without report
Arrow ESP
without report
Arrow UKR
without report
Arrow HUN
without report
Arrow GBR
without report
Arrow KSV
without report
Arrow TUR
without report
Arrow ARM
without report
Arrow CHE
without report
Arrow SVK
without report
Arrow BIH
without report
Arrow CYP
without report
Arrow CZE
without report
Arrow DNK
without report
Arrow EST
without report
Arrow FIN
without report
Arrow FRA
without report
Arrow DEU
without report
Arrow GRC
without report
Arrow ISL
without report
Arrow IRL
without report
Arrow LVA
without report
Arrow LUX
without report
Arrow MLT
without report
Arrow MDA
without report
Arrow MNE
without report
Arrow NLD
without report
Arrow PRT
without report
Arrow SVN
without report
Arrow SWE
View all

Western Asia

0
Arrow SYR
0
Arrow PSE
without report
Arrow IRQ
without report
Arrow BHR
without report
Arrow IRN
without report
Arrow ISR
without report
Arrow JOR
without report
Arrow KWT
without report
Arrow LBN
without report
Arrow OMN
without report
Arrow QAT
without report
Arrow SAU
without report
Arrow ARE
without report
Arrow YEM
View all
Flag
May 2022

Malaysia

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin consequat augue non efficitur fermentum. Proin eu...

Representation
Rights
Rule of Law
Participation

Stay updated on the Global State of Democracy

Get the latest Democracy Tracker developments delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for the Democracy Tracker monthly newsletter

Contact Us

Contact us to request tailored presentations and trainings, or to send your questions and feedback.

Funders and Donors

The European Union Federal Ministry for Economic Coorperation and Development Robert Bosch Stiftung
The Global State of Democracy Initiative is also supported by contributions of International IDEA Member States