Namibia’s democracy remains flawed, index shows
While still labelled as a flawed democracy, Namibia is ranked among the top five most democratic countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In the newly released 2021 Democracy Index: The China Challenge, Namibia is ranked as the fifth most democratic country in Sub-Saharan Africa and 65th among 165 countries worldwide.
It maintained the same position as in 2020 in the sub-region, but moved up three places in the world ranking.
Namibia obtained an overall score of 6.52 based on the country's electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.
Namibia scored the highest in the categories of civil liberties (7.94) and electoral process and pluralism (7.00).
Its lowest scores were for political culture (5.63) and a functioning government (5.36).
Namibia's overall score increased from 6.24 in 2014 to 6.52 last year. The country obtained its best score in 2006, when it stood at 6.54.
Overall average
Mauritius topped the index in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, followed by Botswana, Cabo Verde and South Africa.
Mauritius is also the only country in the region that was categorised as having a full democracy.
The poorest performing country in the region was the DRC, with an authoritarian democracy. The region's overall average score in the index fell to 4.26 in 2019, from 4.36 in 2018.
The world’s most democratic country is Norway, with a score of 9.75, followed by New Zealand (9.37) and Finland (9.27).
According to the findings, the world's least democratic countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea.
The global average score took a big hit for a second consecutive year, the index said.
“As recorded in the Democracy Index in recent years, democracy has not been in robust health for some time.”
It said that in 2021, as in 2020, its resilience was further tested by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dismal record
“The average global score in the 2021 Democracy Index fell from 5.37 in 2020 to 5.28, representing a bigger year-on-year decline than the previous year and setting another dismal record for the worst global score since the index was first produced in 2006.”
The authors stressed that the 2021 result is striking given that it followed a significant deterioration in the first year of the pandemic in 2020, when the global average score sank as a result largely—but not solely—of government-imposed restrictions on individual freedoms and civil liberties that occurred across the globe in response to the public health emergency.
In the newly released 2021 Democracy Index: The China Challenge, Namibia is ranked as the fifth most democratic country in Sub-Saharan Africa and 65th among 165 countries worldwide.
It maintained the same position as in 2020 in the sub-region, but moved up three places in the world ranking.
Namibia obtained an overall score of 6.52 based on the country's electoral process and pluralism, the functioning of government, political participation, political culture and civil liberties.
Namibia scored the highest in the categories of civil liberties (7.94) and electoral process and pluralism (7.00).
Its lowest scores were for political culture (5.63) and a functioning government (5.36).
Namibia's overall score increased from 6.24 in 2014 to 6.52 last year. The country obtained its best score in 2006, when it stood at 6.54.
Overall average
Mauritius topped the index in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, followed by Botswana, Cabo Verde and South Africa.
Mauritius is also the only country in the region that was categorised as having a full democracy.
The poorest performing country in the region was the DRC, with an authoritarian democracy. The region's overall average score in the index fell to 4.26 in 2019, from 4.36 in 2018.
The world’s most democratic country is Norway, with a score of 9.75, followed by New Zealand (9.37) and Finland (9.27).
According to the findings, the world's least democratic countries are Afghanistan, Myanmar and North Korea.
The global average score took a big hit for a second consecutive year, the index said.
“As recorded in the Democracy Index in recent years, democracy has not been in robust health for some time.”
It said that in 2021, as in 2020, its resilience was further tested by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dismal record
“The average global score in the 2021 Democracy Index fell from 5.37 in 2020 to 5.28, representing a bigger year-on-year decline than the previous year and setting another dismal record for the worst global score since the index was first produced in 2006.”
The authors stressed that the 2021 result is striking given that it followed a significant deterioration in the first year of the pandemic in 2020, when the global average score sank as a result largely—but not solely—of government-imposed restrictions on individual freedoms and civil liberties that occurred across the globe in response to the public health emergency.
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