ISTANBUL – Vatan
Press freedom is an area in which Turkey is slipping, according to The Economist Intelligence Unit. Hürriyet photo
British magazine The Economist, which has published an index of the strength of democracy in 167 countries, said Turkey dropped two levels since 2008 and now ranks among the world’s “hybrid regimes.”
The 167 countries were examined according to their electoral systems, pluralism, civil freedoms, government executions, political participation and political culture and awarded a quantitative evaluation ranging from 1 to 4, representing “authoritarian regimes,” 4 to 5.9, representing “hybrid regimes,” 6 to 7.9, representing “incomplete democracies,” and 8 to 10, representing “complete democracies.”
Of the 26 countries nominated as complete democracies, Norway ranked as the most democratic country in the world, receiving an average evaluation of 9.8 out of 10.
In the category of incomplete democracies, Cape Verde, Greece, Italy, South Africa and France took place in the top five.
Turkey, however, was accorded average of 5.3 and ranked as a “hybrid regime,” a category characterized by a tendency for increased corruption, where non-profit organization representation is inadequate and press freedoms are incomplete.
The research showed Turkey was among the countries where press freedoms were deteriorating rapidly. From 2008 to 2010, 36 countries, including Turkey, Italy and France, slipped in their protection of press freedoms, the research said.
Turkey ranked 89th in the democracy index and only advanced 0.04 percent within the category, compared to the past two years, during which it ranked 87th, with an average of 5.69. As other countries became more democratic Turkey slipped from its former ranking.
Other nations evaluated as hybrid regimes were Nikaragua, Tanzania, Palestine, Uganda, Sierra, Leona, Pakistan and Haiti.