Sheikh Hasina won her fifth term as prime minister of Bangladesh on Saturday (6/1), the first result in a series of major elections around the world this year. Meanwhile, Taiwan will also hold presidential elections on January 13. China’s threat to take over the island nation through deployment of force cast a shadow over the voting process.
William Lai, is the candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party who is ahead in opinion polls.
“We are not only electing Taiwan’s future leaders to decide about the future of this country, but also making decisions regarding peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, isn’t that right?” he said.
Indonesia is scheduled to elect a new president next month to lead the country of 277 million, making it one of the world’s largest polls held simultaneously on one day.
Pakistan is due to hold parliamentary elections in February, with opposition leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan still in prison on charges of leaking state secrets, which he has denied. Russians will vote in the presidential election in March, and incumbent Vladimir Putin is clearly set to win.
Ian Bon is a researcher at the Center for European Reform. “He has control of all the necessary administrative machinery to ensure that a large number of votes in his favor will be cast and we will accept the reality of six more years of Putin in power, until at least 2030,” Bond said.
India, the world’s largest democracy, will hold parliamentary elections between April and May, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP leading in opinion polls.
Pushp Saraf is a political journalist in India. “This is an important election because there are two distinct opinions in India today. First, that the BJP has polarized society, especially in communal groups. And on the other hand, there is this idea that the BJP is more focused on national security,” Saraf said.
On June 2, Mexico is scheduled to hold presidential elections, which could be a new milestone.
Poll researcher, Patricio Morelos said that this election was also a historic event.
“This is also a historic event because of the possibility that, for the first time, a woman will rule Mexico,” said Morelos.
The European Union is also scheduled to hold parliamentary elections in June, representing more than half a billion people, amid a resurgence in support for popular right-wing parties. Britain is due to hold an election before the end of the year, with polls predicting opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer is on track to end 14 years of tumultuous Conservative Party rule.
On November 5, Americans will decide whether to give Democrat Joe Biden a second term as US president, or choose another candidate from the Republican Party, with Donald Trump likely to be his opponent. The results of this US election will be easy globally.
Anand Medon is a professor in international politics at Kings College, London. “In the European context, there are all kinds of fears that Donald Trump could very quickly weaken NATO,” he said.
In the coming year, voters will exercise their democratic power on an unprecedented scale, and the consequences will likely be felt for decades to come. (ns/hour)