Electoral autocracy
Topic: Democracy: Forms of Government, Principles and Outcomes · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Electoral autocracy is a category in the V-Dem Democracy Report. It covers countries that hold multiparty elections but fall short on free expression, free association and clean elections. In such a country, elections take place but are not fully free or fair. It sits between electoral democracy and closed autocracy, where there are no real multiparty elections.
Example
V-Dem has called India an "electoral autocracy" since 2021. India's government rejects such ratings. An EAC-PM working paper (2022) said these indices are Western-centred and rely on perceptions.
Don't confuse with
- Hybrid regime: this is the EIU's label for a similar mix of democratic and authoritarian features. It comes from a different index.
- Illiberal democracy: this is Zakaria's term for an elected government that curbs liberties. It is a theory idea, not an index category.
Related concepts
- V-Dem Democracy Report
- EIU Democracy Index
- Freedom in the World
- World Press Freedom Index
- Hybrid regime
- Illiberal democracy
- Democratic backsliding