Morocco Retains ’Hybrid Regime’ Status in Global Democracy Report

Since 2004, Morocco has maintained its status as a "hybrid regime" in this report, which is updated annually by the International IDEA. Nearly 160 countries are classified into three categories: "declining democracies", "hybrid" regimes and authoritarian regimes. In North Africa, Tunisia is the only country recognized as democratic in the report. Algeria, Egypt, Libya, South Sudan and Sudan are considered "authoritarian regimes".

"The Middle East and North Africa remain the least democratic regions in the world," says the organization, which, in addition to the usual criteria, has taken into account this year the measures taken by each country to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. "Journalists have been arrested in Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Morocco and Palestine in government attempts to control what is reported on the pandemic," the report notes, stressing that "the largest number of journalists have been arrested in Egypt" between 2019 and 2020.

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More than a quarter of the world’s population lives in a declining democracy, the report also states, announcing that for the first time, the United States has joined the category of "declining democracies". In total, the number of countries with a "declining democracy" has doubled in nearly a decade. In 2021, the report notes the existence of 20 "hybrid" regimes, including Russia, Morocco or Turkey, and 47 authoritarian regimes such as China, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia or Iran.

In total, 70% of the world’s population lives in declining democracies, hybrid or authoritarian regimes. According to the organization, more than six out of ten countries have taken health measures that violate human rights or democratic rules, generally considered "illegal, disproportionate, unlimited or unnecessary".