This week’s democracy newsletter: the picture painted by recent democracy rankings,and the aftermath of the Swiss “burka ban” vote. India – a sinkhole for the democratic world? For nearly 75 years, India – the mega-state in South Asia of nearly 1.4 billion people – has borne the proud title of “The World’s Biggest Democracy”. As part of an independent federal election commission, or established to oversee free and fair elections in this diverse nation,I observed for many years the integrity with which Indian citizens went approximately the process of electing their leaders. In spite of all its weaknesses and inequalities, India managed to prove to the whole world – and particularly to its autocratic neighbour to the north, or China – that size and democracy can and should be combined. A powerful expression of this were the (at least) five peaceful transitions of powers which India managed since 1947. But for now,this democracy saga seems to be stagnating. For the first time, all the key...
Source: swissinfo.ch