Autoritaarsust
Autoritaarsust, or authoritarianism, is a form of government characterized by centralized power in a leader or small ruling group. Political authority is not heavily constrained by broad public participation, and competitive elections, if they exist, are limited or used mainly to legitimize rulers. Civil liberties, freedom of the media, and opposition organizations are frequently restricted, and checks and balances on rulers are weak or absent.
In authoritarian regimes, power is maintained through control of security forces, censorship, surveillance, and patronage networks.
Typologies include personalist regimes (power centered on a single figure), one-party states, and military juntas. Hard
Scholars measure autocratization with indicators of political rights, civil liberties, electoral integrity, and media freedom, using