Democratic backsliding
Topic: Democracy: Forms of Government, Principles and Outcomes · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Democratic backsliding is the slow weakening of a democracy from the inside. An elected government chips away at courts, the media, the opposition and NGOs step by step. There is no coup (a sudden, often military, seizure of power), and elections keep happening. That is why it is harder to spot than open dictatorship.
Example
Hungary, Turkey and Venezuela are often cited. For India, democracy indices point to sedition and UAPA cases, internet shutdowns, FCRA curbs and electoral bonds. The Supreme Court struck down electoral bonds in ADR v. Union of India (February 2024). Evidence on the other side includes high turnout, changes of government in the states, and the reduced majority in 2024.
Don't confuse with
- Coup or Emergency: these suspend democracy openly and all at once, as in 1975–77. Backsliding is gradual and happens under a legal cover.
Related concepts
- V-Dem Democracy Report
- EIU Democracy Index
- Freedom in the World
- World Press Freedom Index
- Electoral autocracy
- Hybrid regime
- Illiberal democracy