Political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic facts for kids
The political impact of the COVID-19 pandemic describes how the COVID-19 pandemic changed politics around the world. The pandemic affected how many countries were governed. It led to states of emergency, stopped lawmaking activities, and caused politicians to get sick or even die. Elections were also moved to later dates to avoid spreading the virus.
The pandemic also started bigger discussions about important political ideas. These included debates about whether democracy or autocracy (rule by one person or a small group) is better. People also talked about how countries should handle big crises. There were arguments about beliefs related to the virus. People also questioned if existing ways for countries to work together (international cooperation) were good enough. In some cases, the pandemic even caused problems for democracy itself.
How the Pandemic Changed Politics
Leader Popularity During the Pandemic
When the pandemic first started, many leaders saw their approval ratings go up. This is sometimes called a "rally 'round the flag effect." It means people tend to support their leaders more during a big crisis. For example, government approval rose in Italy (+27%), Germany (+11%), France (+11%), and the United Kingdom. This happened between April and July 2020.
However, this increase often didn't last. Approval ratings changed based on how each country handled the pandemic. In the United Kingdom, approval dropped from 51% in March 2020 to 41% in July 2021. Meanwhile, France saw an increase from 27% to 35% in the same period.
In the United States, President Donald Trump's approval dropped by 6 points. But state governors often saw their approval go up a lot. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gained 55 points, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper gained 31 points, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gained 30 points. Studies showed that governments already in power often gained about 4.7% in public support during the pandemic. Many kept this support until their next election.
In Israel, the virus spread quickly after the March 2020 election. The prime minister at the time, Benjamin Netanyahu, didn't win enough seats to form a new government. The chance to form a government was given to his opponent, Benny Gantz. But Netanyahu's actions during the pandemic made his party, the Likud, very popular. They reached peak support (41-43 seats) in April–May 2020. This led Gantz to ask Israel's president to let Netanyahu form the new government instead.
States of Emergency and Power
At least 84 countries declared a state of emergency because of the pandemic. This led to worries about governments misusing their power. Reporters Without Borders said that 38 countries limited freedom of the press (the ability of news to report freely).
Other examples of power misuse included banning large protests. Some countries postponed elections or held them when opposing parties couldn't campaign well. Some governments also used lockdown rules unfairly against political opponents. They might have given help money only to their supporters. Or they blamed minority groups for problems. Many countries also started large surveillance programs to track the virus. This led to concerns about people's privacy.
Human Rights and Freedoms Affected
Governments used emergency powers to stop the pandemic. They wanted to protect public health and the economy. But these powers also raised concerns about human rights and civil liberties. In the Philippines, there were reports of government forces violently arresting citizens. These citizens had broken public health rules. Violent clashes between people and armed authorities also happened in countries like Greece, the United States, and Germany.
Digital tracking technology also threatened human rights and freedoms. This led to worries about privacy, freedom of speech, and freedom to gather. Ecuador's government started a new GPS tracking system. But it didn't have rules for how to handle people's data safely. This left users' information exposed. In South Korea, health officials launched a tracking app. It asked users for personal information. This raised concerns about privacy and possible discrimination. Also, many governments limited the right to freedom of movement. 186 countries put border restrictions in place because of the pandemic.
Sadly, minorities often faced more discrimination. This made it harder for the most vulnerable people to have their freedoms and rights protected.
Challenges to Democracy
A 2020 Freedom House report said that "the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled a crisis for democracy around the world." The pandemic caused big problems for how democracies work. This was because the virus and lockdown rules made it hard to do things like hold elections. Many governments around the world had to stop, cancel, or delay elections. This happened at both national and local levels.
The Freedom House report also pointed out how some governments handled the pandemic poorly. They didn't act in the best interest of their citizens. For example, the governments of Turkmenistan and Nicaragua denied the virus even existed. In Brazil and Tanzania, governments promoted unsafe or unproven treatments.
This happened because things that protect democracy became weaker. These include checks on power, protection for vulnerable groups, openness, anti-corruption efforts, free media, and fair elections. When governments were given huge powers to protect public health, even strong democracies struggled. They didn't always protect against power misuse. This is because emergency powers let governments make rules without needing parliament's approval. These powers are usually for taking "rapid action" during unstable times.
Some governments used emergency powers to gain more control. For example, in Moscow, tens of thousands of cameras with face-recognition were supposedly installed to track the virus. But there were worries these systems might stay after the pandemic. A 2020 Brookings Institution report said that the need for mass surveillance shows that democracies might not be as strong as we think. The same study also said that false information about COVID-19 was a threat to democracy. It noted that the pandemic gave bad actors a chance to spread "fake news, conspiracy theories, and manipulated information." It also said that "Russia and China used the chaos from COVID-19 to push their own goals and keep trying to make Western democracies unstable."
An article in the journal Democratic Theory said that COVID-19 will have a "long-term effect on established democracies around the world." One part of this effect is more democratic backsliding. This means democracy slowly gets weaker. While it's important to respond to a global pandemic, too many strict rules or unfair enforcement raised concerns. It seemed that democracy was declining in nations where it was already fragile.
Media Freedom and News
Media freedom was also greatly affected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many governments put limits on websites. They did this to stop news about misinformation. But they also did it to hide bad things about themselves.
The Chinese government tried to control the story about its early struggles with the outbreak. They censored millions of pieces of content. This content had over 2,000 keywords related to the pandemic. This happened on the communication platform WeChat and the live-streaming platform YY. Also, countries like Bangladesh and Egypt blocked international news websites. They claimed these sites were spreading false information. This stopping of media outlets from criticizing governments broke the right to freedom of expression. This right is in Article 19 of the UDHR. These limits made it easier for media outlets and journalists to be unfairly arrested and put in prison.
Political Discussions and Language
Researchers Abulof, Le Penne, and Pu studied public discussions using news articles and Google Trends. They found that in 2020, there was a huge increase in people thinking about 'death' and 'mortality' worldwide. They also found that the words most linked to death since 2004 were 'Covid' and 'coronavirus.' Similar trends appeared in other languages. They believe this increase was due to the pandemic itself. But it was also because of "pandemic politics." This means politicians used and sometimes misused people's fears about life and death on a large scale.
Another study looked at speeches about the pandemic by Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro. It showed that they often used "ideological polarization." This means they made people with different political beliefs feel even more separate. This suggests that political speeches can be used to manipulate society. A study of speeches by 20 heads of government during the pandemic showed something interesting. Women leaders spoke more about how the pandemic affected individuals. Men leaders often used war words to describe COVID-19 and their actions.
Impact on International Relations
European Union's Response
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, "If we don't propose now a unified, powerful and effective response to this economic crisis, not only the impact will be tougher, but its effects will last longer and we will be putting at risk the entire European project." The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte added that "the whole European project risks losing its reason for being in the eyes of our own citizens." From March 4 to 19, Germany stopped exporting personal protective equipment. France also limited exports of medical equipment. This drew criticism from EU officials who called for countries to work together. Many Schengen Area countries closed their borders to stop the virus from spreading.
Discussions about how to respond to the pandemic and its economic problems caused disagreements. These disagreements were between countries in Northern and Southern Europe in the EU. It was similar to the debates during the 2010s European debt crisis. On March 25, nine EU countries—Italy, France, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Luxembourg—asked for "corona bonds." These are a type of eurobond that would help their countries recover. Their letter said, "The case for such a common instrument is strong, since we are all facing a symmetric external shock."
But Northern European countries like Germany, Austria, Finland, and the Netherlands were against issuing shared debt. They worried they would have to pay it back if other countries couldn't. Instead, they suggested countries apply for loans from the European Stability Mechanism. Corona bonds were discussed on March 26, 2020, at a European Council meeting. This meeting lasted three hours longer than planned because of "emotional" reactions from the prime ministers of Spain and Italy. European Council President Charles Michel and European Central Bank head Christine Lagarde urged the EU to consider issuing shared debt. Unlike the European debt crisis, which was partly caused by the affected countries, southern European countries did not cause the coronavirus pandemic. This made the argument for national responsibility less strong.
Civil Liberties in the EU
Many countries used states of emergency. This limited civil liberties and gave leaders more power. On April 1, sixteen EU member nations released a statement. They warned that some emergency measures during the pandemic could harm the rule of law and democracy. They said they "support the European Commission initiative to monitor the emergency measures." This was to make sure the basic values of the Union were upheld. The statement didn't name Hungary, but many believed it was about a Hungarian law. This law gave plenary power (full power) to the Hungarian Government during the pandemic. The next day, the Hungarian Government joined the statement.
The Hungarian parliament passed the law giving full power to the Government. It passed with 137 votes for and 53 against on March 30, 2020. After the law was made official, the President of Hungary, János Áder, said that the Government's power would be for a set time and have limited scope. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, said she was worried about Hungary's emergency measures. She said they should be limited to what is truly needed. Minister of State Michael Roth even suggested using economic punishments against Hungary.
On April 2, the leaders of thirteen parties in the European People's Party (EPP) suggested removing Hungary's Fidesz party because of the new law. In response, Viktor Orbán said he would discuss Fidesz's membership "once the pandemic is over." He wrote this in a letter to the Secretary General of EPP Antonio López-Istúriz White. Orbán also commented on the thirteen leaders' suggestion. He said, "I can hardly imagine that any of us having time for fantasies about the intentions of other countries. This seems to be a costly luxury these days." During a video meeting of EU foreign ministers on April 3, 2020, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Péter Szijjártó, asked the other ministers to read the law itself. He told them not to just rely on politically biased news reports before commenting on it.
Brexit and the Pandemic
The pandemic also affected the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union. Border checks on EU imports were first delayed until July 2021. Then they were delayed again to 2022. This was an attempt to fix supply problems caused by the pandemic. The European Commission–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dispute also led to a disagreement about the Northern Ireland Protocol. Some experts think that the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom has hidden the true effects of Brexit on the UK.
See also
- List of COVID-19 pandemic legislation
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on science and technology
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television
- Protests over responses to the COVID-19 pandemic
