Index pillars

The index is structured into six pillars that together cover the institutional dimensions of liberal democracy. Each pillar has its own 0–100 subscore; the final index is a weighted average (weights see weights.md).

This document defines what each pillar measures and does not measure, what subcomponents it covers, and how it maps onto established external indices. It serves as a reference manual for event classification — the rationale of every event must reference a specific subcomponent listed here.

Status: v0.1 draft (2026-04-28). Requires review before production use.

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1. Electoral — Electoral process and pluralism (weight 15 %)

What it measures

Citizens’ ability to freely choose their representatives in fair elections with real political competition. This pillar is about the input of the democratic process — how power is gained and transferred.

Subcomponents

• E1. Electoral fairness. Equal access to candidacy, transparent campaign financing, integrity of the count, independence of electoral bodies (the Central Electoral Commission, the Czech Statistical Office during elections).
• E2. Political pluralism. Real multi-party competition, no legal or de facto barriers for new entrants, public-service media access across the spectrum.
• E3. Electoral infrastructure. Vote security and auditability, defence against foreign manipulation, voter registry.
• E4. Peaceful transfer of power. The losers’ ability and willingness to accept the result; respect for institutional succession (Chamber of Deputies → government → president).

What does not belong here

• Manipulation of the media agenda during a campaign belongs in media, not here.
• Corrupt financing of a specific campaign belongs in corruption (and usually here too; in that case it is classified primarily as corruption with a cross-reference in the rationale).

Mapping to external indices

• V-Dem: Electoral Democracy Index (EDI), particularly components v2x_polyarchy, v2elfrfair, v2elmulpar.
• EIU Democracy Index: category Electoral process and pluralism.
• Freedom House FitW: sections A (Electoral Process), B (Political Pluralism and Participation).

Example events

• Electoral law amended to favour one party (severity 4–5).
• A foreign-state disinformation campaign targeted at a specific election uncovered (severity 3–4).
• Major political actor questions election results without evidence (severity 3, escalates to 4 in case of violent expressions).

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2. Governance — Functioning of government and parliament (weight 20 %)

What it measures

A working separation of powers between executive and legislature, adherence to constitutional processes, quality of the legislative process. The pillar with the highest weight together with judicial — backsliding tendencies show up here most often.

Subcomponents

• G1. Separation of powers. Real parliamentary control of the executive (interpellations, investigative committees), no abuse of expedited reading, respect for the role of the president and the Senate.
• G2. Legislative quality. Standard consultation procedures, adequate vacatio legis, sufficient time for debate, avoiding "riders".
• G3. Stability of constitutional norms. Frequency of constitutional crises, respect for Constitutional Court rulings by the government and parliament.
• G4. Transparency of governance. Access to information (Act 106/1999), publishing contracts (the contracts register), reporting by ministries.

What does not belong here

• Compromising judicial independence → judicial.
• Conflict-of-interest scandals about ministers → corruption (but if they cause a constitutional crisis, secondarily here as well).
• Attacks on Czech Television / Czech Radio → media.

Mapping

• V-Dem: v2x_libdem (liberal democracy), v2lglegplo (legislature constrains executive), v2juhcind (high court independence — cross-reference with judicial).
• EIU: Functioning of government.
• Bertelsmann BTI: Status Index — Stability of democratic institutions.
• EC Rule of Law Report: the chapter on the Czech legislative process.

Example events

• Sweeping amendment passed under expedited reading without consultation (severity 3).
• Government systematically ignores a Constitutional Court ruling (severity 5).
• Prime minister refuses opposition interpellations for months (severity 3).
• President refuses to appoint members of a government proposed by the prime minister without a constitutionally acceptable reason (severity 4).

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3. Judicial — Judicial independence and rule of law (weight 20 %)

What it measures

Independence of the judiciary, predictability and enforceability of the law, protection from political influence over the courts. Tied with governance for highest weight — threats to judicial independence are one of the most common indicators of democratic backsliding.

Subcomponents

• J1. Independence of the Constitutional, Supreme and Supreme Administrative courts. Appointment procedures, no executive interference in personnel matters, respect for rulings.
• J2. Independence of ordinary courts. Judicial councils, disciplinary procedures, protection from political pressure on individual judges or cases.
• J3. Independence of the prosecution service. The status of the Supreme State Prosecution, protection from political instructions in specific cases.
• J4. Equality before the law. Same treatment regardless of political position; length of proceedings against politically exposed persons.

What does not belong here

• Corruption inside the judiciary (a judge taking bribes) → primarily corruption, secondarily here.
• Critical media coverage of a judge → media (freedom to criticise), not here.

Mapping

• V-Dem: v2x_jucon, v2juhcind, v2juncind, v2juflow.
• WJP Rule of Law Index: all factors, particularly Constraints on Government Powers and Civil/Criminal Justice.
• EC Rule of Law Report: section Justice system.
• Freedom House: F1 (Independent judiciary).

Example events

• Government proposes an amendment to the courts act expanding political interference in appointments (severity 4–5 depending on depth).
• Prime minister publicly attacks a specific judge in an ongoing case (severity 3–4).
• Senate rejects a constitutional-court appointment for political reasons without substantive criticism of the candidate (severity 3, escalates to 4 on repetition).
• Disciplinary procedure changed to make removing judges easier via a politically controlled body (severity 5).

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4. Media — Media freedom (weight 15 %)

What it measures

Plurality and independence of media, protection of journalists, access to information of public interest, independence of public-service broadcasters.

Subcomponents

• M1. Media plurality. Ownership diversity, protection from concentration (especially the merging of political and media power in one person).
• M2. Independence of Czech Television and Czech Radio. Procedure for electing the boards, financing through licence fees, protection from political pressure on editorial content.
• M3. Journalist safety. No physical attacks, no legal harassment (SLAPP), no event-access bans for political reasons.
• M4. Access to information. A working Act 106/1999, sanctions for its breach, availability of open data.

What does not belong here

• Disinformation campaigns during an election → electoral.
• Corruption by a specific journalist → corruption.

Mapping

• RSF Press Freedom Index: overall score plus the Political, Legal framework and Safety indicators.
• V-Dem: v2x_freexp_altinf, v2mecenefm, v2meharjrn.
• Freedom House: D1 (Free media).
• EC Rule of Law Report: section Media pluralism and freedom.

Example events

• Public-broadcaster law amended to introduce political appointment of the director-general (severity 5).
• Politician files a SLAPP suit against an investigative journalist (severity 3, more serious for larger amounts or repetition).
• A public broadcaster cancels a programme after political pressure (severity 3–4).
• A major outlet acquired by a person with an active political role (severity 4).

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5. Civil — Civil liberties (weight 15 %)

What it measures

Freedom of expression, assembly, association; protection of minorities; equality before the law in practice, not only on paper.

Subcomponents

• C1. Freedom of expression. Protection of critical speech (even when uncomfortable for the government), absence of censorship.
• C2. Freedom of assembly. A real, not merely formal, right to demonstrate; proportionate police response.
• C3. Freedom of association. NGOs, unions, political parties — protection from administrative harassment.
• C4. Protection of minorities. Roma, LGBTQ+, migrants, religious minorities — protection from discrimination and from state indifference.
• C5. Rights in the digital sphere. Privacy, protection from state mass surveillance.

What does not belong here

• Politically motivated criminal prosecutions → judicial.
• Discrimination in media → media (plurality) or here, depending on the nature.

Mapping

• V-Dem: v2x_civlib, v2cseeorgs, v2caassemb.
• Freedom House: sections D (Freedom of Expression and Belief), E (Associational and Organizational Rights), F (Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights).
• WJP: Fundamental Rights.

Example events

• Law passed restricting the right to demonstrate under specified conditions (severity 3–5 depending on scope).
• Police attack on a peaceful demonstration (severity 3–4).
• New NGO law introducing mandatory "foreign agent" registers (severity 5).
• Sustained refusal to protect a minority during attacks (severity 3, escalates with systematic pattern).

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6. Corruption — Corruption and transparency (weight 15 %)

What it measures

Both perceived and proven levels of corruption; transparency of public procurement, party financing, and asset declarations; effectiveness of anti-corruption institutions.

Subcomponents

• K1. Political corruption. Conflicts of interest of constitutional officials, abuse of power for personal gain.
• K2. Public procurement. Transparency of tender procedures, the Public Procurement Act (ZZVZ), the contracts register.
• K3. Political financing. Transparent party accounts, rules for large donations, oversight by the Office for Supervision of the Management of Political Parties.
• K4. Anti-corruption institutions. NÚKIB, the Supreme Audit Office, GIBS, BIS — their independence and effectiveness.
• K5. Whistleblowing. A working Act 171/2023 on the protection of whistleblowers.

What does not belong here

• Corruption inside the judiciary → primarily here, secondarily judicial.
• Corruption during an election campaign → primarily here, secondarily electoral.

Mapping

• TI CPI: the overall index and year-on-year changes.
• GRECO: recommendations and their compliance.
• V-Dem: v2x_corr, v2excrptps.
• EC Rule of Law Report: the Anti-corruption framework chapter.

Example events

• Prime minister fails to declare assets in their statement (severity 4).
• Public Procurement Act violated in a large contract with a political nexus (severity 3–4).
• Supreme Audit Office’s powers weakened (severity 4–5).
• A structural bribery scheme exposed (severity 4–5 depending on scope).

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How to resolve pillar overlap

Rules:

1. Primary pillar = closest root cause. A minister scandal → corruption (root cause), not governance (consequence).
2. If an event has two comparable impacts: classify by weight. The higher-weight pillar (governance/judicial = 20 %) takes precedence over the lighter ones (electoral/media/civil/corruption = 15 %), otherwise heavy backsliding events would be systematically underweighted.
3. Cross-references go in the rationale. The main pillar is one, but the rationale lists all relevant dimensions.
4. In case of genuine uncertainty: severity: null, status: needs_review. A pause is better than a wrong classification.