Institutional capture
Also called: State capture · Topic: Democracy: Forms of Government, Principles and Outcomes · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Institutional capture happens when a ruling party or group takes control of bodies that are meant to stay independent and check it, such as the courts, the election body, state media and the civil service. It fills these bodies with loyal people. It may also write its own rules into the constitution, so that only a special majority can change them. As a result, the group keeps power even after it loses an election. It matters because these bodies are the "referees" of democracy. Once they are captured, citizens cannot remove or check a government fairly, so rule of law (the idea that law binds the government too) and accountability both get weaker. In India, Article 324 makes the Election Commission responsible for running elections. Keeping that body independent is a key safeguard against capture.
Example
In Hungary, Orbán's Fidesz party wrote many of its rules into the constitution. When it lost the April 2026 election, the new government needed a two-thirds majority to undo them. After taking office in May 2026, the new Prime Minister still had to ask the President, the head of the court and the heads of state media to resign.
Don't confuse with
- Democratic backsliding: this is the wider, step-by-step weakening of democracy from within. Institutional capture is one of the main tools it uses.
- Oligarchy: this is rule by a few wealthy families. Capture can happen even when no small elite rules the country openly.