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History

Emergency Powers in Democratic Backsliding

Quick fact

Well-known episodes like Hungary's 2020 'coronavirus state of danger' and India's 1975 Emergency show that leaders can legally terminate press freedoms, bypass parliaments, and indefinitely extend their authority, without ever formally abolishing the constitution.

Why this is interesting

Most democracies that die do not collapse overnight—they are dismantled with the lights on, using legal paragraphs written for emergencies. How do ordinary crisis laws become the cover for authoritarian power grabs?