Poland lower and lower in Freedom House ranking
23:39
Last week, the annual report on the state of world democracy and freedom prepared by the American organization Freedom House was published. It shows that 2020 was the worst year for global democracy in the last 15 years.
“The number of countries where democracy has deteriorated is greater than those where it has improved. This is the biggest regression recorded since the global recession of democracy in 2006," the report reads.
The reasons can be found in the pandemic, deepening economic uncertainty, and thus – in the growing importance of power in the political arena. As the analysis shows, the effects of the long-term collapse of democracy take a global character – they are felt by people living in both dictatorial systems and democracies
As the authors of the report note, the main factors contributing to the global decline of democracy are China and Russia, using their international influence and avoiding sanctions for abuses, e.g. against human rights violations.
2020 was also a tragic year for American democracy. Over the past 10 years, the US total score for Freedom in the World has dropped by 11 points. The reasons should be sought, among others in corruption or strictly defined immigration policy. The authors of the report emphasize the key importance of President Donald Trump's policy in this process, the culmination of which was the so-called storming of the Capitol in January.
The position of Poland in the ranking is getting worse every year, despite the fact that our country is still counted among the free states. In 2021, Poland received 82 points – 2 less than in the previous year and as much as 7 less than in 2017.
Ghana and the Republic of Vanuatu achieved the same result. The United States was 1 point ahead of Poland. Countries such as Mongolia, Romania, and Chile have ranked above. Hungary finds itself in the 'partially free' category this year – right next to Peru, Ecuador and India. However, it lost the category of a "free state" in 2018.
