ABSTRACT
A variety of countries, some of them perceived as paragons of democracy in history, have elected governments that are both authoritarian and populist. Some governments campaigned and were elected on those platforms while others have slowly and steadily edged toward them. Common to them all, however, is the adoption of laws and governing principles that erode democratic rule or outright exclude it. For instance, on March 30, 2020, the Hungarian parliament voted to allow Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to rule by decree indefinitely, giving him dictatorial powers for at least the foreseeable future. In the Philippines, Duterte has, on top of intimidating journalists and engaging in what can be described as killing sprees of alleged criminals, redrawn the entire system so as to extend his tenure indefinitely. Russian President Putin, who has already ruled for 20 years, has engineered a redesign of the system so that he can remain in power for another 16 years until 2036. In the United States, which sees itself as the birthplace and proselytizer of democracy, the current president has called for prosecutions of perceived enemies and made countless public attacks on federal judges and prosecutors involved in cases against his allies and has continued authoritarian practices abroad through warfare or mass surveillance. Are we witnessing a transformation of democracy or an evident life sentence ushering us all into a nondemocratic world? Maria Pia Lara will help us understand what we are observing and how they change our hopes to live in democracies.
