Particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic, autocratic leaders have used emergencies as excuses to concentrate their power and violate human rights. For instance, the Hungarian legislature empowered Prime Minister Orbán to rule by decree throughout an indefinite state of emergency. Throughout the pandemic, he punished journalists for reporting on the pandemic and even empowered the military to use deadly force against civilians who did not follow pandemic protocols.

Utilizing Emergencies as Excuses to Violate Human Rights

Autocrats can attack the voting rights of citizens—particularly those citizens who may support their opponents—to consolidate power. A primary example of this phenomenon is Republican-led state legislatures in the United States passing restrictive legislation meant to prevent Black and low-income people from having voting access.

Attacking Voting Rights

Autocrats attack the free press to eliminate or at least weaken the media as a check on executive power. They might attack journalists, stack media regulatory committees with party loyalists, censor journalists, or buy up media outlets to consolidate control over the press.

Attacking the Press and Consolidating Media Power

Civil society organizations (CSOs) are key to engaging the public in political activity and can threaten autocrats if they mobilize the opposition against them. Consequently, autocrats can attack CSOs by restricting those that receive foreign funding and hindering CSOs with fines and sanctions.

Attacking Civil Society Organizations

Autocrats attack civil liberties to limit the ability of citizens to challenge their rule. They might attack press freedoms or consolidate media power, diminish voting rights, or attack civil society organizations (CSOs). Autocrats can also utilize emergencies as excuses for violating human rights and consolidating their power.

Wesleyan University

Autocrats primarily degrade democracy across three categories: by compromising the rule of law, attacking civil liberties, and violating the freeness and fairness of their countries’ elections. Autocrats can also violate democratic norms to change the culture of a country from a more democratic political culture to a more autocratic one. 

How Autocrats Degrade Democracy in Power

Autocrats seek to reduce checks on their power to consolidate power for themselves. To do so, they control the legislature, judiciary, and other institutions that typically check executive power. 

Attacking the Rule of Law and Reducing Checks on Executive Power

Attacking Civil Liberties

Autocrats manipulate voting laws and the way that elections are run so that they can more easily beat their opponents and continue to rule.

Attacking Free and Fair Elections

Autocrats can take a variety of routes to destabilize a country’s democracy and consolidate power. Tactics can be more overt—such as by amending or even replacing a country’s constitution to their benefit—or they can be more subtle—such as by shifting a country’s political culture in their favor.

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