: Unfair economic conditions or blatantly stolen elections can trigger massive street protests that the regime cannot easily suppress without dropping its "democratic" mask.
Competitive authoritarianism refers to a hybrid political system where democratic institutions exist in form but are heavily tilted in favor of the incumbents. Competitive Authoritarianism: Hybrid Regimes Af...
These regimes are highly resilient because they avoid the international condemnation and domestic outrage that blatant dictatorships provoke. By maintaining a facade of democracy, they can participate in global markets and maintain a degree of legitimacy. : Unfair economic conditions or blatantly stolen elections
: Maintains the appearance of democracy (elections, opposition parties) but strips away the fairness, creating highly predictable outcomes. By maintaining a facade of democracy, they can
: Balloting is generally free of massive, blatant fraud, but the process is highly unfair due to gerrymandering, voter intimidation, and barred candidates.
: If fractured opposition parties unite behind a single candidate, they can sometimes overcome the rigged system.