Most-improved Country of the Year

The Economist’s choice for Most-improved Country of 2020 is (drumroll) Malawi! Here’s why.

In the past eight years, Malawi:

• Had a president’s death covered up (they said he was just sick)
• Had a president (the deceased’s brother) win a rigged an election via Liquid Paper
• Had his win affirmed by foreign election observers
• Had judges offered exorbitant bribes to remain silent; but did not take them and ultimately, in 2020:
• Held a fair election and elected an aptly-named new president, Lazarus Chakwera!

Fingers crossed for the new president in 2021.