A day after national democratic elections were held in South Africa for the seventh time, gaining wide approval, South Africa’s democracy continues to trend down according to an authoritative index published by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
In what seems like a sign of things to come, the EIU’s Democracy Index ranked South Africa 47th out of 167 countries, a drop of two places from the previous year.
With an overall score of 7.05, the country has seen a nearly one-point decrease since the EIU began publishing the index in 2006.
South Africa particularly struggles with so-called “political culture”, which gauges popular support for democracy, the EIU reports.
Despite these issues, and the potential for domestic deterioration due to politics, South Africa remains considerably more democratic than most other African nations.
According to the index, South Africa boasts the continent's largest economy and is one of the most stable countries.
The country also scores relatively highly in “political participation”, reflecting its citizens' engagement in democratic processes.
Over the past three decades, South Africa’s institutions have remained robust, and elections are generally free and fair.
The EIU survey highlights that the most democratic countries in the region are in the south, with Botswana and Namibia ranking alongside South Africa.
Other democratic countries, like Ghana and Mauritius, are spread across the region.
However, the overall situation in sub-Saharan Africa is much bleaker.
The least democratic countries are in central Africa, with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and the Central African Republic, all scoring below two.
The Middle East and North Africa are experiencing widespread conflict, resulting in the lowest scores in the survey.
Sudan, after a year of war, has become a failing state with the most significant decline in democracy.
The Gaza conflict has sparked protests in Israel and increased regional instability and the outlook for next year's numbers appears grim.
Recent elections, conducted after the survey, have shown mixed results.
Incumbent presidents were re-elected in questionable elections in Congo and Egypt.
However, in March, Senegalese voters defied expectations by electing Bassirou Diomaye Faye, an anti-corruption advocate.
This unexpected result offers a glimmer of hope in a region where democracy is rapidly deteriorating.
