Voters living in democracies have become frustrated by the perceived inability of democracies—particularly advanced democracies—to cope with emergencies. Two major crises that democracies apparently struggled to cope with were/are the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democracy’s Perceived Inadequacy: Emergency Response

Voters living in democracies—particularly young democracies—have become disappointed with their governments’ ability to govern, particularly when addressing corruption, unstable economies, racism, and other long-term issues.

Democracy’s Perceived Inadequacy: Long-Term Issues

Crises can expose long-term issues that democracies have failed to address, provoking frustration with democracy among voters. Crises can therefore contribute to unrest that would-be autocrats can then take advantage of.

When Crises and Long-Term Issues Meet

Autocrats have benefitted from a rising perception among citizens of democracies that democracies struggle to govern, particularly on addressing long-term issues and immediate crises. Autocrats have capitalized off of this frustration to convince voters to elect non-democratic candidates.

Wesleyan University

Would-be autocrats competing in democratic elections can employ a variety of strategies to convince voters to elect them. Autocrats have recently benefitted from a growing dissatisfaction with democracy among voters and have also manipulated social divides among their electorates to garner support.

How Autocrats Win Elections in Democracies

Disillusionment With Democracy and The Rise of Autocrats

Would-be autocrats take advantage of disillusioned voters to win elections. They often polarize electorates/take advantage of extant polarization, exacerbate social divides, and engage in populist campaigning to build a base of support that will enable and maintain their rise to power.

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