The number of electoral democracies around the world rose from 119 to 122 this year, setting a new record as freedom made inroads in the Middle East and Africa, an independent monitoring group said.
But in its annual report rating every nation in the world as "free," "partly free" or "not free," Freedom House on Monday expressed concern about countries like the US and France, where it saw "looming problems" with electoral setups and immigrant integration.
"These global findings are encouraging," said Arch Puddington, director of research at the organization. "Among other things, the past year has been notable for terrorist violence, ethnic cleansing, civil conflict, catastrophic natural disasters and geopolitical polarization," he added. "That freedom could thrive in this environment is impressive."
The three additions to the list of electoral democracies were the African nations of Burundi, Liberia and the Central African Republic.
The three countries afforded considerable space for political opposition, the report said.
But the most significant improvements were noted in the Middle East, where Lebanon was upgraded from "not free" to "partly free," despite a series of political killings that shook the country.
It also noted elections held in Iraq, Egypt and the Palestinian territories, the introduction of women's suffrage in Kuwait, and improvements in Saudi Arabia's media environment among other encouraging signs in the region.
"This emerging trend reminds us that men and women in this region share the universal desire to live in free societies," commented Thomas Melia, acting executive director of Freedom House.
In a rare critique of the US, the survey complained about "the widespread use of sophisticated forms of gerrymandering," or redrawing of electoral districts, that the authors said has "reduced competitiveness in congressional and state legislative elections."
Meanwhile, several European countries, including France, faced challenges to their democratic institutions from their failure to effectively integrate non-European immigrants, the report said.
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