2024 will see elections in the majority of the world. This year, over sixty countries will hold an election of some sort, making more than half of the global population eligible to head to the polls, according to Time Magazine. From presidential to legislative to local elections, 2024 will prove to be the year of the ballot.
January has already seen at least five elections come and go. Taiwan’s former Vice President, Lai Ching-te, is now the country’s president, having won the election with 40 percent of votes. Taiwan’s political party in power remains the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
After months of arrests and accusations, ending with the main opposing party boycotting the election, Bangladesh’s election for Prime Minister ultimately resulted in a fifthterm for Sheikh Hasina. This marks nineteen years that she has served as Prime Minister, making her the world’s longest-serving female head of government.
The Comorian elections also resulted in a re-election, with President Azali Assoumani receiving 62.97 percent of the vote.
Finnish former Prime Minister, Alex Stubb won the first round of presidential elections against the previous foreign minister, Pekka Haavisto.
Tuvalu’s sixteen-member parliament received six new members in the general elections. The former Prime Minister, Kausea Natano, lost his seat, and the new Prime Minister is said to be decided in the next few weeks because of a delay due to weather conditions.
Bhutan’s parliamentary elections took place on January 9th, with the People’s Democratic Party winning thirty out of forty-seven seats in parliament. This marks the country’s fourth general election since their switch to a parliamentary government from a monarchy.
This year will hold general elections in Palau, the Solomon Islands, the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory, San Marino, Indonesia, India, Uruguay, Panama, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Canada, South Africa, Rwanda, Namibia, Mozambique, Mauritius, Ghana, and Botswana.
There will be parliamentary elections held in Chad, Togo, Mongolia, the Maldives, North Korea, Belarus, Croatia, the European Union, Georgia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, and Romania.
Mayoral elections will take place all across England and Wales in 2024. There will also be mayoral elections in Brazil. State elections will occur in Australia, Germany, Austria, and Malaysia. Regional elections will be held in Spain, Russia, Portugal, Italy, and Belgium.
Additionally, many local elections will transpire in Jamaica, Mexico, Indonesia, Turkey, Belgium, Ireland, Malta, Poland, and Romania. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Costa Rica, and Brazil will hold municipal elections this year.
2024 is a big year for presidential elections, taking place in over 20 countries. These countries include Algeria, Chad, the Comoros, Mauritania, Senegal, Somaliland, Tunisia, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, Sri Lanka, Croatia, Finland, Georgia, Taiwan, Bangladesh, The Comoros, Tuvalu, Iceland, Lithuania, Moldova, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and, of course, the United States.
The United States is seeing many elections this year. In addition to the incredibly relevant presidential election, there are also elections for the House of Representatives and certain senate seats, which will determine which party controls the respective houses of Congress. Separately, on the state level, there are elections for positions ranging from governors to local representatives.
History Department Chair, Alex Robins comments, “I think we’re at a really important inflection point in regards to where the world is heading in terms of democracy. It’s going to be really interesting to see how elections go in individual countries and how those elections influence the elections in other places.”
While half of the global population is eligible to go to the polls, some people may question whether the elections in all of these places are free and fair. Whether due to an imprisoned running mate, or a boycotted election day, many elections this year will question the very concept of democracy.