An illiberal democracy describes a governing system that maintains a façade of democratic institutions, such as elections, while subtly suppressing opposing views and undermining fundamental freedoms. These regimes frequently ignore constitutional limits, restrict individual rights, and manipulate elections to consolidate power, often serving nationalistic or anti-minority agendas. Scholars critically view these systems, arguing they are not genuine democracies and preferring terms like "electoral authoritarianism" due to the absence of true liberty and fairness. While illiberal ideas have historical roots, the modern concept was notably introduced by the 1995 book Towards Illiberal Democracy in Pacific Asia and widely popularized by Fareed Zakaria's influential 1997 article in Foreign Affairs, challenging the post-Cold War belief in an inevitable global convergence towards liberal democracy.