British well-known “Economist Intelligence Unit” research company published its “Democracy Index 2021” report, which mentions that overall the democracy continued to experience a rapid decline in 2021.
Armenia registered an improvement of 0.14 points compared with 2020 to take its total score to 5.49 in 2021. Armenia ranks 89th in the global ranking (the same as in 2020), two spots above neighboring Georgia, which is 91st (5.12), Turkey is 103rd (4.35) and Azerbaijan is 141st (2.68).
“A snap parliamentary election held in July 2021 gave the Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, a strong public mandate following a period of turbulence and discontent. The sweeping victory of Mr Pashinyan and his Civil Contract party brought a degree of stability following the 2020 recession and war with Azerbaijan. This allowed the government to continue its democratic reform programme. However, despite the improvement in the score, concerns about Armenia’s democracy remain. The independence of the judiciary is still in question and the opposition is marginalized”, the report mentions.
The report ranks Azerbaijan among the “authoritarian regimes”. The public discontent in Azerbaijan has intensified, and the ruling regime has responded with repression. This has led to the further rooting of undemocratic actions and the suppression of dissent.
Turkey's total score has been steadily declining over the past decade. According to the report, it reflects the authoritarian ruling of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the widespread corruption has undermined trust towards the government.
