Introduction Mafia democracy is neither purely criminal rule nor a healthy liberal democracy; it is a hybrid in which formal institutions are captured and reshaped by informal, illicit power. Citizens still vote, constitutions remain, and laws are published—but outcomes are skewed by bribery, intimidation, clientelism, and the co-optation of public office. The result is a veneer of legitimacy that masks oligarchic control and entrenched impunity.