Various news outlets such as NPR, Vox, Forbes and more have dubbed 2024 as “the biggest election year in history.”
Once the United States’ election takes place, Nov. 5, and Ghana’s on Dec. 7, at least 70 countries and territories will have selected new leaders or solidified incumbents. Consisting of countries like India, the U.S. and Indonesia, these nations encompass approximately 44% of the global population, according to CNN.
As Americans wait a little longer to make their voice heard at the polls, many of this year’s elections have already produced results that are expected to have implications on human rights, international relations and the global economy.
Mexico
Mexico elected its first female president in the country’s 200-year history in June. Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn into office on Oct. 1, marking the start of her six-year term.
Climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, Sheinbaum succeeds former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, whose emphasis on support for the poor and militarization of domestic security she promised to continue, according to one PBS article.
The new leader is faced with pressing challenges upon assuming the presidency. The country she inherits currently struggles with high levels of violence, a large budget deficit, the presence of drug cartels and more.
While welcoming their own new president, Mexico also awaits the U.S. election. The results are expected to have implications on topics including trade and immigration policies, according to Carlos A. Pérez Ricart, a professor at Mexican public research center CIDE.
India
Narendra Modi was elected to serve a third term as prime minister of India, making him only the second leader to secure a third consecutive term since India’s first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, according to BBC.
India’s six-week election which took place April-June stood as the world’s largest, according to AP. The country has approximately 970 million voters among its nearly 1.5 billion people.
“Today’s victory is the victory of the world’s largest democracy,” Modi said to a crowd at his party’s headquarters, according to an AP article.
Modi’s government has emphasized Hindu nationalism, welfare programs and development. This past election, he promised to move the country’s economy from the world’s fifth biggest to third biggest.
Nonetheless, according to BBC, Modi’s leadership faces powerful opposition from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), a coalition of opposition parties. Critics point to lack of jobs, inflation and inequality to support their position against Modi.
While Modi and his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition along with his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured enough seats for a small parliamentary majority, the results were not as encouraging as Modi had anticipated. Therefore, he will have to rely on support from other parties in his coalition moving forward.
Russia
Winning 87.3% of the vote in March’s election, Vladimir Putin secured his rule for another six years, according to an article by CNN. 2030 will mark three decades of his leadership as either prime minister or president, establishing him as Russia’s longest-serving leader.
The election results come amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, and it appears Putin has plans to keep applying pressure to Ukraine as he transitions into his new term.
In the state of the nation address delivered in February, Putin voiced plans to fulfill Russia’s goals in Ukraine and do whatever is necessary to “defend our sovereignty and security of our citizens,” according to AP.
As the conflict continues, Russia’s relations with countries like China, North Korea and Iran have been strengthened, and Putin seeks to build new ones, potentially in the Global South.
Nonetheless, issues persist at home, taking the form of spiked inflation, low life expectancy and widespread poverty.
Other significant global political events include Shigero Ishiba’s replacement of Fumio Kishida as Japan’s prime minister and the preparation for a contentious election in Georgia that determines whether the country will move closer to Russia or the West.
