About 3.7 billion people (nearly half of the world's population) in 72 countries in 2024. had the opportunity to go to the polls and vote, making it the largest election year in history, according to UN data, BTA writes in its review of the year.
The year was difficult for a number of governments around the world, with many of them losing power in key elections - either through complete defeat or through weakening electoral support.
Over 80% of the ruling parties in democratic countries where elections were held performed worse than in the previous vote, and governments in some countries suffered historic losses, notes the American television ABC.
A turn to the right was observed mainly in Europe and the United States, but in other parts of the world the picture was far more heterogeneous, commented the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. For example, in countries such as Botswana, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Uruguay, centre-left parties won elections and held onto their political positions.
A rightward shift in the EU and the US
In November, Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States. He became the first American head of state to return to a second non-consecutive term in the White House since Grover Cleveland was re-elected president in 1892. Trump is also the first person convicted of a serious crime to be elected president, the AP notes.
A few days after Trump's re-election, about 50 European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, gathered for a summit in Brussels to assess transatlantic relations.
During his presidential campaign, Trump threatened NATO countries that did not spend enough money on defense that he would encourage Russia to attack them, Reuters recalls. Trump also warned the BRICS countries not to replace the US dollar and threatened them with 100 percent tariffs. On Sunday, he also warned the EU that he would impose comprehensive tariffs if Brussels did not solve the problem of the trade surplus with the United States.
"We need to become more masters of our own destiny. "Not because of Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, but because of our own children," European Council President Charles Michel said at an EU summit on November 7, quoted by the AP.
The legislative processes in the EU will become more complicated after the results of the European Parliament elections painted a complex picture, predicts the "Guardian" newspaper.
A recent report by the European Center for the Study of Populism states that no less than 60 populist parties from 26 EU member states received representation in the EP in the June elections, while in 2019 their number was 40 from 22 countries, adds the ANSA agency.
Far-right formations ranked first in the June EP elections in France, Austria, Belgium, Italy and second in Germany, the Netherlands and other EU countries. However, the centrist coalition, made up of the conservative European People's Party (EPP), the centre-left Socialists and Democrats and the liberal Renewal Europe, remained the largest political force in the EP. The three groups have 188, 136 and 77 seats respectively.
With 84 MEPs from 12 countries, led by the leader of the French far-right National Rally, Jordan Bardella, the Patriots for Europe group has become the third largest political force in the European Parliament. "Europe of Sovereign Nations" – the other far-right party in the EP, founded by the "Alternative for Germany", won 25 seats in the European legislature.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called early parliamentary elections after his party suffered a crushing defeat in the European elections by Marine Le Pen's far-right "National Rally". Although the "National Rally" won the first round of the parliamentary elections, it was defeated in the second round. On December 13, Macron appointed centrist François Bayrou as prime minister, giving him the difficult task of leading France out of a months-long political crisis.
The far-right Austrian Freedom Party (AFP) came first in the European elections with 25.7% of the vote, ahead of Chancellor Karl Nehammer's Austrian People's Party (AVP), which came in second with 24.7%.
After the results were announced, Nehammer was quoted by the "Guardian" as saying that he understood the "message" of voters and would seek to address their concerns ahead of the Austrian parliamentary vote. However, in September, the far-right AFP also came first in the Austrian parliamentary elections, again ahead of Nehammer's party. The APS was supported by 28.8% of voters, which is an increase of 12.6% compared to the previous elections.
The situation in Portugal, however, was different. Although the parliamentary elections in March were won by the right-wing Democratic Union bloc, the Socialist Party of Portugal came first in the European elections with 32.1%, albeit with a small lead over the Democratic Union, which received 31.12%.
Historic defeats
In the general election in Britain in July, the Conservative Party recorded its worst result since 1832, and the Labour Party, which had not governed the country for 14 years, returned to power.
Following the elections in the Republic of South Africa in May, the ruling party "African National Congress" lost its parliamentary majority for the first time since it came to power three decades ago after the end of apartheid.
Basirou Diomaye Faye Pastef in March became the first opposition candidate in Senegal to win a presidential election since the former French colony gained independence in 1960.
The most dramatic defeat was suffered by the Botswana Democratic Party, which ruled the country for 60 years but was left with just four members of the 61-seat parliament after the October elections. The opposition party "Support for Democratic Change" came in first place, winning 33 seats.
Some parties lost their parliamentary majority but managed to form governments
The Indian People's Party (Bharatiya Janata Party) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi also lost its parliamentary majority in the election. The "Bharatiya Janata" won 240 seats, compared to 303 in the previous parliament. The opposition "Indian National Congress" (INC) won 99 seats, almost double the number it had won in the previous parliamentary elections, when it had won just 52. But the "Bharatiya Janata"-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition won a total of 293 seats, and thanks to the coalition's support, Modi was able to form a government for the third time in a row.
The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed Japan for most of the post-World War II period, and its coalition partner "Komeito" lost their parliamentary majority in the October elections. The parliamentary vote was held early after then-prime minister and LDP chairman Fumio Kishida announced in August that he was retiring from politics. He was replaced by former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba, but he narrowly won the LDP leadership race, prompting him to call early parliamentary elections. Despite losing their parliamentary majority, the LDP and Komeito remained in power as a minority government.
The opposition in South Korea won 176 of the 300 seats in parliament in the April elections. In recent weeks, President Yoon Suk-yeol's conservative People Power Party and the opposition liberal Democratic Party have been at odds over next year's budget bill. In early December, Yoon declared martial law and accused opposition leaders of "anti-state" activities. However, the parliament overturned Yun's decision, voting unanimously to lift martial law, and a little later the motion for the impeachment of the president was also adopted.
At the same time, there were also ruling parties or state leaders who retained their power after the elections without any major upheaval. This was the situation after the elections in countries such as El Salvador, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Palau. In the presidential elections in Taiwan in January, William Lai received the support of over 40% of the voters and won an unprecedented third term for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
In other countries, however, the election results caused social upheavals.
In Romania, the presidential elections were annulled after the first round.
On October 27, the Georgian Central Election Commission announced that the country's ruling party "Georgian Dream" is the winner of the parliamentary elections held in October, but the opposition did not recognize the results, and OSCE observers described the vote as a "backslide from democracy".
"There is a general sense of disillusionment with the political elites. People feel that they have lost touch with reality and have crossed all ideological boundaries," Richard Wyke, head of the "Global Attitudes Research" department at the US think tank "Pew Research Center", told the AP.
Voters in many countries have been disappointed by the traditional major parties, resulting in their votes being scattered, says the Australian think tank "Vision of Humanity". This year has seen a growing trend towards coalition governments, with often uncompromising political partners facing challenges in their attempts to achieve unity.