The United States has been put on a list of “backsliding democracies” for the first time, according to the  International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. 

“The United States, the bastion of global democracy, fell victim to authoritarian tendencies itself, and was knocked down a significant number of steps on the democratic scale,” according to the International IDEA’s “Global State of Democracy Report 2021,” released Monday. 

The Stockholm-based International IDEA divulged that on a global scale there are more than one in four people who live in a backsliding democracy. The study also put 160 counties into three categories: democracies, “hybrid” governments and authoritarian regimes. 

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The United States “historic turning point came in 2020-21 when former President Donald Trump questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election results and co-author of the report Alexander Hudson said a “decline in the quality of freedom of association and assembly during the summer of protests in 2020” also played a role. 

Over the last decade the number of backsliding democracies has reportedly doubled and the organization’s members worry about the U.S.’s path.  

“The visible deterioration of democracy in the United States, as seen in the increasing tendency to contest credible election results, the efforts to suppress participation (in elections), and the runaway polarisation…is one of the most concerning developments,” said Secretary General Kevin Casas-Zamora. 

the moment Hungary, Poland and Slovenia fall into the category of a backsliding democracy, according to the organization. However, Ukraine and North Macedonia were able to get off the list this year after some improved situations.  

“The pandemic has certainly accelerated and magnified some of the negative trends, particularly in places where democracy and the rule of law were ailing before the pandemic,” Casas-Zamora said. 

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