Forum 2,000: democracy fragile in present-day world

Democracy is seriously threatened in the present-day world due to a rise in corruption, organized crime, populism and extremism, participants in the Forum 2,000 conference concluded in the first panel debate on Monday.

The conference which brings together thinkers from around the globe is also focusing on the impact of the social media on democracy. German political analyst Yasha Mounk pointed out that thanks to social networks extremists have become more voluble and more connected, a process that has fuelled populism in many states.

Former Spanish prime minister Felipe Gonzáles noted that functional democratic systems had only survived in Europe, America, Australia and New Zealand which is roughly 27 percent of the world.