Idea International Survey: 43% believe democracy is preferable to any other form of government | General Elections | Authoritarian | ipsos | principle

With two years to go before general elections and regional and municipal elections, 43% of Peruvians believe “democracy is preferable to any other form of government.” International idea, produced by Ipsos Peru. 5% did not specify their answer.

29% believe that democratic governance is not important to them, while 23% indicate that an authoritarian regime may be preferable to a democratic system in “certain circumstances”.

These last two groups [que suman el 52%]27% “when democratic leaders do a poor job”, 24% “too many citizens are in unsafe situations”, 23% “when public services do not work”, and 21% choose an authoritarian government. severe economic crisis” [ver infografía].

Also, 50% of the total number of respondents insist that Peru needs a “strong leader” and “willingness to act with a strong hand to maintain order.” 31% of our country needs an “integrated and conversational leader.”

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The opinion poll, conducted between January 18 and February 5, found that 26% said the most important characteristic of a democracy was having “regular, clean and transparent elections”. And 18% indicate freedom of expression and respect for the rights of all people.

“The scene is too dangerous”

Mabel Huertas, a political analyst at 50 plus 1, warned that it is “very dangerous” that a high segment of citizens are willing to give up their liberties “for a little order”.

“Already in 2021, the citizens voted for Pedro Castillo, a union leader who has no faith in institutions and runs under the symbol of a party within its ideology to stay in power. There are many disaffected Peruvians who are ready to vote for another radical leader who does not believe in democracy as a path to development,” he said. said.

In an interview with El Comercio, he said that the current situation in the country – in economic recession, with a wave of uncontrolled insecurity and a deep political crisis – is a “fertile field for criminal organizations”.

Huerta also said the results of the IDEA International survey did not surprise him because Peru is a country with “an authoritarian tradition.”

“Citizens wonder, what does the government give me? Many of us are talking about informal, often illegal survival. There is a lot of work to be done when there is inequality in a democracy, people who don't have access to basic services, feel insecure,” he said.

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For his part, political analyst Jeffrey Radzinski said there has been a “weakening of democratic institutions” not only in Peru but also in the region over the past decade.

In a conversation with this newspaper, Radzinski pointed out that any candidate for 2026 could create a profile and proposition that “under certain circumstances” would match the 23% who think an authoritarian government is preferable to democracy. This, he added, would allow him to eventually reach the second round, with the fraction he has today.

“The most popular president in the region is Nayeb Bukhele [en El Salvador]And this is because people are willing [a renunciar a parte de sus libertades]. The paradigm of democracy is changing with respect to public services. “Castillo was elected in 2021 despite his anti-democratic stance in the Constitutional Court, Congress,” he noted.

Radzinski warned that in an electoral system like the Peruvian one, “discontent with democracy” in a sector could be exploited by “characters who have yet to appear”.

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“Democracy is disillusioned”

Political analyst Enrique Castillo said the results should be taken “with concern” but not because of increasing autocracy, but because of “disappointment with democracy” in Peru. He said that a section of the population feels that this type of government is not enough to meet their needs.

When contacted by El Comercio, Castillo insisted that in recent years in the country “we have experienced the practice of democracy.” He recalled that since 2016, public opinion has observed the decline of successive presidents.

“Democracy does not work in Peru, it does not work and it will justify the possibility of trying other government programs that work for the people like in El Salvador. But in Peru we have already experienced authoritarian governments and many people do not like it,” he revealed.

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For example, the electoral run that Fuerza Popular still maintains “was born out of the dictatorship that Alberto Fujimori created in his two governments,” he said.

Castillo said the country is currently going through an economic recession and suffering from citizen insecurity, which one department has begun to call “urban terrorism.” Later, he warned that many could justify “the trial of totalitarian governments” in return for reducing these evils.

More info

• 76% think the government should respect freedom of expression and diversity of opinion, while 10% think it should be banned from spreading information that the executive believes is harmful to the country.
• According to an Ipsos Peru poll for Idea International, 38% think democracy cannot function without Congress. 40%, on the other hand, indicated that the system would function “better” without Parliament.