To battle a spreading pandemic, democracies across the globe are turning to tools like emergency proclamations, abrupt lockdowns and enhanced public surveillance. But so are the world's autocrats — and analysts say the burgeoning outbreak is providing cover for some audacious power grabs. Alarmed critics have given the phenomenon a scathing nickname: "coronavirus coup." The latest example is in Hungary, where parliament on Monday granted Prime Minister Viktor Orban sweeping new authority to rule by decree for an unlimited period of time. Orban, already engaged in a systematic campaign to consolidate his powers and stifle political opposition, cited the need for heightened powers as a way to aggressively fight the outbreak. "Especially in weak democracies, this is accelerating trends we were already seeing," said Sarah Repucci, who heads the analytics department at Freedom House, a Washington-based watchdog group that for years has documented the worldwide erosion of democracy. Advertisement Repucci cited Orban as among the autocrats using the virus as an excuse to accelerate their repressive agendas. From Israel to Brazil, from the Philippines to Chile, there are telltale signs of autocratic intent behind executive actions ostensibly spurred by coronavirus, analysts say. One is when measures giving a leader more… Read full this story
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