In 2024, around 40 countries, representing nearly half of the world’s population, will hold general elections to either elect new rulers or retain their current ones. However, this widespread occurrence of elections should not be seen as a definitive global success of democracy. The 2024 Elections Around the World highlight both the progress and challenges in the pursuit of democratic governance.
Elections have been held in Bangladesh for the first time, while the series of elections that have started around the world will likely end with the most consequential election on November 5, when the American people will decide by exercising their right to vote. Whether Donald Trump returns to power or not.
Polling will take place during this period in Mexico and other countries, as well as in India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and Russia. There are no elections in the UK until 2025, but Rishi Sonak is expected to be ousted from power soon as his party’s future prospects are threatened.
Although Benjamin Netanyahu may extend the genocidal campaign in Gaza so that disillusioned voters cannot account for the countless failures of Netanyahu’s fascist regime, an extension of Israeli aggression could provoke a situation that calls for elections.
The effects of the bloodshed in the territories occupied by Israel will also impact the 2024 Elections Around the World, including the US elections. There is evidence that young Americans, including Jews, are increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration’s aid to elements involved in the bloodshed of hundreds of civilians in the Middle East, where many victims are children and women. This growing frustration is causing daily wavering among voters about their decision to re-elect Biden.
The pro-Zionist lobby and its allies, on the other hand, are determined to defeat the few members of Congress who dare to speak up for Palestinian rights or who question the US facilitation of Israel’s war crimes. However, the success rate of previous efforts in this regard has been very low, but nevertheless, this trend is a cause for concern in a country where money often rules in electoral contests.
Beyond that, there is no guarantee that legal or constitutional challenges will defeat Trump’s bid for a second term in the 2024 Elections Around the World. Will his return to the White House work as magically as some quarters of the American media seem to suggest? Maybe so. The dire world situation will serve to fuel the status quo, but a second term in office for Donald Trump could create even more troubling prospects.
However, chances are that undesirable events will occur. If we talk about the subcontinent, oppression is becoming a common factor here. The Awami League in Bangladesh (Hasina Wajid seems to have forgotten her father’s situation after opting for this repression), the ruling circles in Pakistan, and the Modi government in India will once again likely retake power.
All three are likely to succeed for different reasons. The likely next president of Indonesia is Prabowo Subianto, a Suharto-era general who is banned from entering the United States because of his atrocities. But there is no doubt that if he wins, the ban will be lifted just like it was in the case of Narendra Modi.
In South Africa, the African National Congress (ANC), which is indelibly associated with Nelson Mandela but does not accurately reflect his ideals, may lose its majority after years of misrule and corruption. Despite all its flaws, the ANC has consistently supported the cause of Palestinian liberation and its government deserves praise for taking the Israeli genocide case to the International Court of Justice.
Electoral trends in Europe are broadly to the right and extreme right. This is partly because the influence of the left is waning. Latin America offers a clear choice of left or right. Whoever wins, Mexico will have its first female president this year. All potential alternatives to Vladimir Putin in Russia have been imprisoned or exiled, yet a fake election exercise is seen as necessary to provide legitimacy. War-torn Ukraine will not be affected by this year’s elections. If he had expressed sympathy for the Palestinians, Ukraine would have gained much support, but Vladimir Zelensky left that to Putin.
Due to alleged Chinese interference, next week’s presidential election in Taiwan could determine the fate of not only Taiwan but the region. It will depend on how the winner behaves towards China.
No elections around the world, including those in the 2024 Elections Around the World, are likely to save the planet from climate catastrophe. While luxury and affluence persist, severe poverty, hunger, and homelessness continue to plague many regions. Right-wing forces may offer the same old solutions, while left-wing forces are either extinct or scarce in most parts of the world. Happy New Year to you, but will this year truly be a happy one?
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