Cuba repeats as the third least democratic country in Latin America

Cuba repeats its classification as the third least democratic country in Latin America, according to the latest edition of the Democracy Index prepared by the Intelligence Unit of the prestigious British magazine The Economist.

The annual survey, which rates the state of democracy in 167 countries, placed Cuba in 135th place, with a rating of 2.65 out of 10, a score based on indicators that reflect the strength of democratic practices, including the fairness with which they conduct elections and the protection of civil liberties.

Due to its results, The Cuban regime is described as “authoritarian”, a dubious “honor” that he shares with the regimes of Venezuela and Nicaragua. While the latter country ranks as the worst in the region, in 143rd place (with 2.26 points), Nicolás Maduro's regime is the second least democratic, occupying 142nd place (2.31) in the ranking of The Economist.

Only three countries are considered full democracies in Latin America: Uruguay, Costa Rica and French Guyana. The majority are classified as imperfect democracies (Brazil, Colombia, Argentina or Chile, among others), while seven Latin American countries are classified as hybrid regimes (Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador).

The Intelligence Unit The Economist (UIE) ranks 167 countries and territories on a scale of ten. Globally, the latest report, published on February 15, shows that less than 8% of the world's population lives in full democracies and that 39.4% are under authoritarian governments, down from 36.9% in 2022.

Norway, New Zealand and Iceland are the most democratic countries in the world. The list is closed by Afghanistan, preceded by Myanmar and North Korea.

According to the UIE, authoritarian regimes are typical of those states where state political pluralism is absent or very restricted. Affirm that many countries in this category are absolute dictatorships.

In others, some formal institutions of democracy may exist, but they have little substance. Elections, if held, are neither free nor fair.

Abuses and violations of civil liberties are committed in these regimes. The media are usually state-owned, or controlled by groups related to the ruling regime. There is a repression of criticism of the government and widespread censorship. And there is no independent judiciary.

While geopolitical tensions grow in the world, influencing the quality of democracies in some countries - such as Ukraine itself, which resists Russia's invasion - the three worst regimes in Latin America remain the same and in the same order.

Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba continue to be antidemocratic actors that, beyond the harm they cause to their populations, influence the democratic countries of the region in a pernicious way, exporting a model of authoritarianism that seduces like-minded political actors.