Global Impeachment Trends and Democratic Accountability Mechanisms
January 2024
Recent impeachment proceedings in various democracies worldwide have renewed focus on accountability mechanisms for heads of state. The impeachment of presidents in countries like Brazil, South Korea, and ongoing debates in other democracies provide comparative insights into how different constitutional systems handle executive accountability. These global trends highlight the importance of robust constitutional mechanisms like India's Article 61, while also raising questions about whether India's restrictive approach to impeachment (limited to constitutional violation) is adequate for modern governance challenges. International experiences demonstrate both the importance of impeachment as a democratic safeguard and the risks of political misuse of such mechanisms.
UPSC Angle: UPSC may test comparative analysis of impeachment procedures across democracies, the effectiveness of different accountability mechanisms, and lessons for Indian constitutional governance from global experiences.