The World's Newest Governments — Political Systems That Changed Since 2020
Government structures aren't static. In the last six years alone, multiple countries have experienced coups, constitutional overhauls, regime changes, and democratic transitions that fundamentally altered how they're governed.
Here's a look at the most significant government changes since 2020, tracked through Civica's governance database.
Military takeovers
Myanmar (2021) — The military seized power on February 1, 2021, detaining elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and declaring a state of emergency. What was a flawed but functioning parliamentary democracy became a military junta. Civil resistance continues, and a parallel National Unity Government operates in exile.
Sudan (2021) — General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan dissolved the transitional government in October 2021, ending a fragile power-sharing arrangement between civilian and military leaders that had been in place since the 2019 revolution. Civil war erupted in 2023 between competing military factions.
Niger (2023) — The presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, making Niger the fourth Sahel country to experience a coup since 2020 (following Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea).
Gabon (2023) — Military officers seized power hours after President Ali Bongo was declared winner of a disputed election, ending the Bongo family's 55-year rule.
Constitutional reforms
Chile (2020-2023) — After massive protests in 2019, Chile embarked on the most ambitious constitutional rewrite in its recent history. A constitutional convention drafted a new document in 2022, which voters rejected. A second attempt in 2023 was also rejected, leaving the Pinochet-era constitution in place with amendments.
Tunisia (2022) — President Kais Saied pushed through a new constitution via referendum that dramatically expanded presidential powers, effectively reversing the democratic gains of the 2011 Arab Spring revolution. Tunisia shifted from parliamentary to hyper-presidential governance.
Transitions and shifts
Afghanistan (2021) — The Taliban's return to power in August 2021, following the US withdrawal, replaced the Islamic Republic with the Islamic Emirate — a theocratic system with no constitution, no elections, and severe restrictions on women's participation in public life.
Israel (2023-2024) — While not a regime change, Israel's judicial overhaul legislation sparked a constitutional crisis in a country that operates without a formal written constitution, raising fundamental questions about the structure of its parliamentary democracy.
The Sahel wave
The concentration of coups in West Africa's Sahel region represents a regional pattern worth examining:
- Mali — Coups in 2020 and 2021
- Guinea — Coup in 2021
- Burkina Faso — Two coups in 2022
- Niger — Coup in 2023
- Gabon — Coup in 2023
These countries have formed the Alliance of Sahel States, representing a new bloc of military governments that have withdrawn from ECOWAS and the African Union's mediation frameworks.
What these changes mean
The period since 2020 has seen a notable increase in democratic backsliding globally. Freedom House's annual reports document 18 consecutive years of declining global freedom. The coups in the Sahel, the constitutional regression in Tunisia, and the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan represent different facets of this trend.
But change isn't all negative. Several countries have strengthened democratic institutions, held peaceful transfers of power in challenging circumstances, and expanded civic participation through digital governance tools.
Track it on Civica
Civica's country pages reflect current government structures as sourced from Wikidata, meaning they update as political realities change. You can:
- Compare pre- and post-change governance by exploring country pages for affected nations
- Browse government types on the hub to see military juntas, theocracies, and more
- Use the compare tool to see how transitioning countries differ from stable democracies in their region
Governance is never finished. Civica helps you see where it stands today.