International IDEA

🆕 174 countries. 155 indicators. Data going back to 1975.

The Global State of Democracy Report 2026 is an excellent resource for understanding where democracy stands today, and how it intersects with a world increasingly shaped by conflict.

#GSoD2026 #DemocraticResilience

Explore findings🔗
idea.int/publications/c…

Finland and International IDEA share a conviction: investing in democracy is investing in security.

With @VilleTavio and @Ulkoministerio, our discussions linked democracy with stability, development and trade, alongside support for Ukraine’s democratic future.

🗳️ Elections in Hungary, Serbia and elsewhere offer hope that illiberal rule can be challenged at the ballot box. But what happens after political change?

Changing governments is one thing. Undoing institutional capture is another.

Institutional capture happens when political actors gain undue influence or control over institutions meant to operate independently, such as courts. And that influence can outlast the government that established it.

Poland illustrates the dilemma. Its current government is seeking to undo changes made under the previous Law and Justice (PiS)-led government that weakened the Constitutional Tribunal's independence. But as of 4 November, efforts to restore the court have themselves become legally contested, triggering institutional clashes, protests and police intervention.

The turmoil follows a period of measurable progress. According to International IDEA's Global State of Democracy Indices, Poland was one of only four European countries with statistically significant advances in Rule of Law between 2020 and 2025. Whether those gains will endure remains to be seen.

📊 This week's Democracy on Our Radar explores the dilemma of democratic repair, with data and analysis from International IDEA's Gentiana Gola.

➡️ Swipe through to see what Poland's experience tells us about the challenges of rebuilding independent institutions.

We first covered the Tribunal dispute in our Democracy Tracker in April: idea.int/democracytrack…

Digital governance and electoral integrity: Lessons from elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia

How could EU digital rules help countries seeking EU membership address online risks to elections?

This question was at the centre of the first Brussels Digital Democracy Series discussion, organised by International IDEA and @UGZastoNe in cooperation with @ShareConference
Bringing together EU policymakers, election experts and civil society representatives, the discussion explored lessons from recent elections and electoral campaigns in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

Participants examined key digital challenges affecting electoral processes, including disinformation, platform accountability and the growing impact of digital technologies on political communication. They also discussed how EU frameworks on digital services, political advertising and artificial intelligence (AI) could support EU candidate countries in strengthening electoral integrity and addressing online risks.

The series is part of International IDEA’s Closing the Digital Gap on Elections in EU Enlargement project, funded by Stiftung Mercator.

📸 A few moments from the discussion. Follow us for more from the Brussels Digital Democracy Series.

Political influencers are increasingly visible in elections. How are they being regulated?

Our new report, in collaboration with @polcommtech & @SSHRC_CRSH, examines 18 countries and the EU, finding most systems rely on existing rules rather than treating influencers as a distinct electoral category.

📖 Read the report: doi.org/10.31752/40049