India a flawed democracy: Economist

India may rank well above many other emerging economies in terms of its democratic climate, but it still remains a "flawed democracy", according to global research organisation Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

In the latest edition of its annual Democracy Index, published on Tuesday, EIU placed India among the 50 countries found to be "flawed democracies".

This dubious distinction for the country comes in the midst of India's democracy being highlighted by preparations for the forthcoming general election, which EIU has also termed as "the world's largest democratic exercise".

The index, in which Indian democracy has been ranked at 35th position out of the total 167 countries under review, is based on a collective score of electoral process and pluralism, civil liberties, functioning of government, political participation and political culture.

The report has named 30 countries as full democracies, 50 of them as 'flawed' democracies, 36 as hybrid regimes and another 51 as authoritarian regimes.

The 'full democracies' list is topped by Sweden, followed by Norway, Iceland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Germany, among others.

Other full democracies include Japan, the US, the UK, Greece, France, Portugal, Mauritius, South Korea and Italy.