Cuba remains at the center of political controversy and is among the least democratic countries in the world, according to the recent Global State of Democracy 2023 report presented by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA). This study, presented in Stockholm, places the island in a dispiriting position in the areas of political participation, representation, human rights and the rule of law, sharing space with notorious authoritarian regimes such as Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Eritrea, Syria and Afghanistan and Venezuela.
In this edition of the report, there was a significant change in the assessment methodology as IDEA decided to divide the analysis into specific categories instead of making an overall classification. The results cast a bleak light on the state of democracy in Cuba.
The island’s worst performance is reflected in the area of politics and public participation, where it ranks 165th. In terms of representative government, Cuba ranks 149th, while in human rights and rule of law it ranks 144th and 151st, respectively.
According to IDEA, Cuba performs poorly in all Global State of Democracy categories and attributes this situation to the lack of competitive multi-party elections and restrictions on civil liberties.
The report also highlights the worrying decline in life expectancy and well-being in Cuba, as well as unprecedented emigration from the island, not seen since the 1960s, food shortages, as well as the use of violence against protesters.
As for the region, the report points to a continued decline in democratic principles across the Americas, with significant declines in countries such as Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, El Salvador and Guatemala. IDEA condemns the increasing repression against journalists and the restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly on the continent.
Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary General of IDEA, emphasized that democracy is not a Western construction imposed on the world, but an achievement of humanity. He called for protecting the values that unite humanity in the pursuit of human dignity and protecting these shared aspirations from being blown away by the hurricane winds of geopolitical conflict.
Despite some glimmers of hope in areas such as less corruption and surprisingly high political participation, the Global State of Democracy 2023 finds that democracy continues to shrink in all regions of the world, creating significant challenges for the future of Cuba and other developing countries.