An annual report produced by the Swedish institute V-Dem, associated with the University of Gothenburg, pointed out that there are currently more dictatorships than democracies in the world.
Approximately 33 governments fall into what the research classifies as autocracies, while 32 respect the division of powers and freedom of the press, two “thermometers” that measure the quality of a free society, according to the study.
In the midst of this, there are some countries that carry the name of “democracy” on their flag, but are far from representing the people, as the original definition of the word advocates — from the Greek demokracia (demo = people; kracia = government).
In an interview with the magazine Lookhistorian Daniel Aarão Reis said that the mixture of concepts began in the 20th century with the dictator Lenin, main leader of the Russian Revolution of 1917, who sought to “subvert the order of social elites and middle classes to create a revolutionary appetite”.
However, with the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas II and the seizure of power by the communists, the “democratic” discourse proved to be unreliable, as authoritarian rulers remained without granting rights of popular participation to their citizens.
In the 21st century, some countries governed by authoritarian leaders continue to carry an idea of democracy that is not exercised in their nations. See examples:
North Korea
The North Korean dictatorship, led by Kim Jong-Un, is officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Despite the title, the country lives under a totalitarian regime, marked by poverty and state repression.
North Korea is ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Recent estimates from the CIA World Factbook project the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita to be around US$1,700 (R$8,200). Brazil's, for comparison purposes, is US$14,600 (R$70,000 at current exchange rates).
The country, represented by a supreme leader, has its diplomacy closed to a few allies, including Russia, under Vladimir Putin, and China, under dictator Xi Jinping. According to the UN, approximately 40% of the North Korean population suffers from malnutrition and two-thirds of North Koreans live on food distributed by the State.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Congo is the second largest country in Africa and is also considered one of the poorest in the world.
In 2003, the African nation faced a civil war and to this day suffers the impacts of clashes between different ethnicities and disputes over natural resources.
According to the UN, with more than 5 million displaced people, the country is at the highest level of emergency in terms of humanitarian aid.
Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Another extensive country in Africa, which is far from being a democracy, but bears its title, is Ethiopia.
After Nigeria, it is the country with the largest population on the African continent, with more than 120 million inhabitants. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the country could become the third largest economy in sub-Saharan Africa, but the nation faces serious problems due to political crises, natural climate problems and a two-year armed conflict in Tigray, in the north of the country.
China Popular Republic
China does not have democracy in its official name, however the attempt to show popular participation is in its Constitution, in article 1, which cites the country as a “democratic dictatorship of the People”.
“The People's Republic of China is a socialist state under the people's democratic dictatorship, led by the working class and based on the alliance between workers and peasants”, says the text.
Despite being one of the world's great economic powers, Xi Jinping's government is recognized as authoritarian, with numerous episodes of religious persecution and disappearances of authorities.
Other countries
In addition to these, other countries that present themselves as democratic, but are not on the main lists that measure democracies in the world, such as the Democracy Ranking of the British magazine The Economist and the annual report produced by the Swedish institute V-Dem, are in Africa and Asia. They are Laos, Nepal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sri Lanka and Timor-Leste. They all have common obstacles in relation to the economy, in addition to a series of political and social problems.
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