Nations in Transit 2017

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organisation that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights. Its headquarters is in Washington, USAPopulist victories in the United Kingdom and the United States have shaken the post-Cold War order and increased fears of instability in Europe and Eurasia, according to Nations in Transit 2017, the 22nd edition of Freedom House’s annual report on democracy in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Eurasia, published in March 2017.

Key findings:

+ In 2017, more than half of the 29 countries in the report had declines in their Democracy Scores: 18 countries’ scores dropped. This is the second biggest decline in the survey’s history, almost as large as the drop following the 2008 global financial crisis.

+ For the first time in the NIT project’s history, there were now more Consolidated Authoritarian Regimes than Consolidated Democracies.

+ Hungary now had the lowest ranking in the Central European region. Poland’s score reached its lowest point in the survey, well below the last time the Law and Justice (PiS) party was in power in 2005-07. In these countries, populist leaders had attacked constitutional courts, undermined checks and balances, and have turned public media into propaganda arms

+ The bright spots in NIT 2017 were Ukraine, Romania, and Kosovo. Ukraine and Kosovo made modest gains due to gradual structural reforms, although they now faced significant obstacles to deeper transformation that could derail their progress. With its improvements in 2017, Kosovo achieved a category change, from a Semi-Consolidated Authoritarian Regime to a Transitional/Hybrid Regime. In Romania, a caretaker government addressed a number of outstanding issues, such as problems in the voting process during the previous elections.

Freedom House: Nations in Transit www.nationsintransit.org

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