EDITORIAL - Flawed democracy

Few people will disagree with the classification of democracy in the Philippines as “flawed” – as ranked in the latest Democracy Index drawn up by London-based think tank The Economist Intelligence Unit. There was some improvement though, with the Philippines rising to 52nd place in 2022 from 54th in 2021 and 55th in 2020.

The index is based on 60 indicators grouped under five categories: electoral process and pluralism, functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties. Countries are classified under four regime types: full democracy, flawed democracy, hybrid and authoritarian regimes.

A “flawed democracy” is one with free and fair elections and where basic civil liberties are respected, but with significant weaknesses in certain aspects such as governance, political culture and participation. Filipinos have long noted the weaknesses in the country’s democratic institutions, but reforms have moved at snail’s pace in most areas. With the leadership change last year, the human rights situation has seen some improvement, but more remains to be done, and there are many other aspects of governance that need strengthening.

At the height of the COVID pandemic, democracy scores fell globally as countries imposed restrictions on mobility and other civil liberties to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Last year, however, most countries including the Philippines eased the restrictions.

The rankings should encourage more effort toward reforms. Those at the top spot, classified as “full democracies,” also rank high in the global Happiness Index based on quality of life indicators, and they are among the most advanced economies. Norway tops the list followed by New Zealand, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Taiwan.

Conflict-torn Afghanistan retained its spot at the bottom of the index, followed by Myanmar, North Korea, Central African Republic, Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Turkmenistan, Chad, Laos and Equatorial Guinea.

The rankings point to a correlation between national prosperity and the quality of democracy. It should spur more effort in correcting the flaws and strengthening the country’s democratic institutions.