Democracy’s supporters would do well to accept it for what it is

The assassination attempt on former US president Donald Trump on July 13 will go down in history as a turning point in the coming US presidential election. Many people now expect him to have a smooth ride to victory in November.

Still, Trump’s defiant image does not change the essence of this election, which cynics might denigrate as a choice between a senile US President Joe Biden and a liar ex-president in Trump. It speaks volumes of the degeneration of American democracy threatened by populism and hate.

But it is not just the United States that is a source of worry over the state of democracy. According to the 2023 Democracy Index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit in February, fewer than 8 per cent of the world’s population lives in 24 full democracies. The number of “flawed democracies” increased to 50 in 2023 from 48 the previous year. Of the remaining countries and regions, 34 were classified as hybrid regimes blending democracy and authoritarianism while 59 were authoritarian regimes.