COSEQUENCES

CONSEQUENCES Former leaders and Nobel laureates warn: 'Pandemic leads to strengthening of authoritarianism' "Authoritarian regimes, not unexpectedly, are using the crisis to silence critics and strengthen their political grip," they said. Author: HinaPublished: June 25, 2020 10:18 Viktor Orban Viktor Orban Michal Cizek / AFP Facebook Twitter Messenger E-mail RELATED NEWS Prime Minister Andrej PlenkovićVideo icon LIVE GOVERNMENT Prime Minister: ‘The virus is here again’; State Secretary: 'Today we expect an increase in the number of cases' PANDEMIC Soon 10 million sick, the world economy is dying out. IMF: This crisis is not like the others! The coronavirus pandemic has strengthened the authoritarianism of governments around the world and poses a growing threat to democracy, jointly warned several hundred former prime ministers and presidents, MPs, Nobel laureates and civil society representatives. The virus, first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year, spread around the world and forced state governments to restrict freedom of movement, speech, public assembly and other civil rights. "Authoritarian regimes, not unexpectedly, are using the crisis to silence critics and strengthen their political grip," more than 500 signatories said in an open letter organized by the Stockholm Institute for Democracy and Election Assistance (IDEA). The letter was signed by more than sixty former heads of state. "Even some democratically elected governments are fighting the pandemic by accumulating extraordinary powers that limit human rights and strengthen state oversight without legal restrictions or parliamentary scrutiny." The U.S. International Center for Nonprofit Law claims that more than 80 states have introduced emergency measures, from curfew, penalties for those who break the rules, to increased surveillance, censorship, and expansion of executive powers. The result is a deterioration in democratic norms, which has implications for political freedom, but also the ability of governments to deal with the crisis and future health emergencies, the IDEA secretary general said. He cites the Philippines, Hungary, El Salvador and Turkey as states that have introduced authoritarian measures or undermined the system of checks and balances. "There are legitimate reasons for extraordinary powers. But it is always problematic when the government uses them to attack independent media and other fundamental rights, "said Kevin Casas-Zamora , a former Costa Rican president and minister. "We want to focus on the disappearance of democracy due to this crisis. It is not the protection of democracy for its own sake; democracy is an inherent value in dealing with this pandemic and preparing for the next. " IDEA writes that the coronavirus has already postponed or canceled at least 66 elections worldwide. Nearly 50 states have introduced some form of restriction of media freedoms, of which 21 are democracies. The signatories of the letter, including politicians such as former presidents of Brazil and Argentina Fernando Henrique Cardos and Mauricio Macri , former Polish president and Nobel laureate Lech Walesa and Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi , are most concerned that citizens are beginning to accept the increasingly authoritarian behavior of their authorities. "Democracy is endangered, and those who care about it need to find the will, discipline and solidarity to defend it. It is a question of freedom, health and dignity of people all over the world ", concludes the letter signed by former Croatian President Ivo Josipović and former Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Vesna Pusić