Global Election Year: Key contests and outcomes shaping 2024 so far

The year 2024 kicked off as the election year for many countries.

Globally, about 64 countries, representing approximately 49 percent of the world’s population, will hold or have already held national elections to elect their respective leaders.

These national elections, taking place in various countries this year, will hold significance for the years ahead.

Notable among these elections is the November election in the United States of America. The contest is between current President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

The rematch, which has been dubbed by many as the “rematch nobody wants,” is set to prove a key point for democracy across the world. America has a population of 341 million.

Qonversations provides a summary of national elections that have already taken place for 2024. This summary is in no particular order.

India

The world’s most populous democracy, India, recently concluded its national elections, which saw President Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) securing a third term in office. But his win was rather bittersweet as he failed to secure a convincing win in parliament.

The BJP fell short of its 370 target (400 with coalition partners) in the 543-seat lower house of parliament (Lok Sabha). Modi’s party also failed to secure wins from rural areas, with analysts indicating that the disappointing result could damage Modi’s brand.

India has a population of 1.44 billion.

Taiwan

Earlier in January this year, Taiwan elected Lai Ching-te as its next president, ushering in a historic third term in power for the pro-sovereignty Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). Lai beat his rival Hou Yu-ih of the conservative Kuomintang (KMT) by more than 900,000 votes in the general election.

With tensions still brewing with Beijing, China, on the diplomatic and military front, Taiwan’s leader will have to rely on the US and its allies to mitigate the situation. Lai Ching-te, who was the former Vice President of Taiwan, is currently facing pushback from relations with China, with increasing military threats and warplanes frequently entering Taiwanese airspace.

El Salvador

The South American nation of El Salvador saw its leader Nayib Bukele secure a resounding victory in February this year. The fierce race was culminated by a crackdown on gang violence.

Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party secured major seats in parliament but is still facing some pushback as many believe his second term is unconstitutional. More than two percent of El Salvador citizens are facing imprisonment, with some concerned about civil liberties under Bukele’s tenure.

Mali

The West African nation of Mali is facing a constitutional and democratic crisis as its military junta has postponed presidential elections. All indications seem to point that the junta aims to hold onto power for an indefinite period.

Mexico

On Sunday, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as its first female president after a historic landslide victory.

According to preliminary results from the country’s electoral body, the 61-year-old climate scientist has secured between 58% and 60% of the total votes cast.

The landslide victory, which was 30 percentage points higher, placed Sheinbaum ahead of her main rival Xóchitl Gálvez, who is a businesswoman.

Senegal

Senegal elected its youngest president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The 44-year-old’s ascension to power was solidified in a March general election, where he received an astonishing 54.28% of the vote. The historical achievement put the country into a frenzy.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s election rival, Amadou Ba, finished second with 35.79% of the vote. The voter participation for Senegal’s election was 61.3%, indicating substantial civic involvement among the Senegalese populace, particularly among the youth.

Faye, who had never had a political role before, was previously imprisoned for eleven months alongside Ousmane Sonko. His detention occurred during President Macky Sall’s reign, when he enacted an amnesty law that jailed Faye.

Russia

In March this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his grip on power after securing a landslide election victory. Russia, which is faced with an ongoing war with Ukraine, has faced widespread criticism from other European countries, including members of the EU and NATO.

Despite this, Putin secured 87.8% of the total votes cast, making it the highest-ever result in Russia’s post-Soviet history.

In what some described as a no contest, Communist candidate Nikolai Kharitonov finished second after securing just less than 4% of the total votes.