A report titled A Leaderless Struggle for Democracy by Sarah Repucci, published under the banner Freedom in the World 2020 by Freedom House, places Somaliland 49 countries in Africa who are classified as ‘partly free’ at par with Kenya and ahead of both Ethiopia and Djibouti. The Report puts Somalia among the worst 10 in aggregate scores for political rights and civil liberties.
Charting 14 years of democratic decline, the report net gains in democracy was 83 countries and 52 going in decline contrasting a gloomier picture 2019 paints with countries demonstrating measurable freedoms at 37 which sharply accentuated a staggering 64 countries in the world showing net declines.
The Republic of Somaliland is mapped among the ‘partly free somewhere between the established democracies and the ‘decliners’.
Among the countries which have shown marked differences to better or worse in the 2020 status changes were put as:
- Benin: Benin’s status declined from Free to Partly Free because a new electoral code and a series of decisions by the courts, electoral authorities, and the government resulted in the exclusion of all opposition parties from the April 2019 parliamentary elections.
- Mauritania: Mauritania’s status improved from Not Free to Partly Free due to a relatively credible presidential election that resulted in the country’s first peaceful transfer of power after the incumbent completed his term, signaling a departure from a history of military coups.
- El Salvador: El Salvador’s status declined from Free to Partly Free because criminal groups continue to commit acts of violence and intimidation against politicians, ordinary citizens, and religious congregants, and because the justice system has been hampered by obstruction and politicization.
- Myanmar: Myanmar’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to worsening conflicts between the military and ethnic minority rebel groups that reduced freedom of movement in the country.
- Indian Kashmir: Indian Kashmir’s status declined from Partly Free to Not Free due to the Indian government’s abrupt revocation of the territory’s autonomy, the dissolution of its local elected institutions, and a security crackdown that sharply curtailed civil liberties and included mass arrests of local politicians and activists.
- Senegal: Senegal’s status declined from Free to Partly Free because the 2019 presidential election was marred by the exclusion of two major opposition figures who had been convicted in politically fraught corruption cases.
- Thailand: Thailand’s status improved from Not Free to Partly Free due to a slight reduction in restrictions on assembly and tightly controlled elections that, despite significant flaws, ended a period of direct rule by military commanders.
More than half of the world’s established democracies deteriorated over the past 14 years. Functioning of government, freedom of expression and belief, and rule of law are the most common areas of decline. 41 countries, who had a ‘Free’ status for 20 consecutive years prior to the beginning of the 14-year decline, suffered, according to the report, overall declines in democracy and basic rights.
The 14-year changes charted by the report affected covers the sub-categories of Electoral process, Freedom of Expression and Belief, Functioning of Government, Political Pluralism and Participation, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, and Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights.
Read the full report HERE
