2024: The Year of Elections

Today’s the day!

You step into the fabled voting booth, ready to make an important decision as a law-abiding citizen. After making it through registration, you settle into the quiet, yet intense environment. You analyze your choices and slowly prepare to mark your choice… 

“Candidate A…”

“Candidate B…” 

Welcome to the reality of around half of the world’s population preparing for (or currently going through) their country’s major elections. The number of voters heading to the polls all around the world marks 2024 as a year full of potential pivotal changes in governments around the world. Here’s a run-through of several elections from around the world.

North America

→ United States

The United States prepares for its 2024 Presidential Election as current president Joe Biden runs for re-election while Donald Trump runs for the presidency as the potential second candidate to have a second non-consecutive term after Grover Cleveland. Trump is gathering the most progress, soon after the Iowa caucus, where he won around half of the votes.

Recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy both announced their decisions to drop out of their presidential campaigns. Ramaswamy soon announced his decision to become a staunch supporter of Trump after ending his 2024 campaign.

The official date of the American presidential election is set for November 5, 2024.

→ Mexico

Mexico prepares to mark a milestone in its history by potentially electing its first female president. The two candidates in particular are Claudia Sheinbaum of Sigamos Hacienda Historia and Xóchitl Gálvez of Fuerza y Corazón por México. The current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is not allowed to run for election according to Article 83 of the Mexican constitution.

The official date of the Mexican presidential election is set for June 2, 2024.

→ El Salvador

El Salvador is in a big election period, where general elections will decide who will become the president, vice president, and all 60 disputes of the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly. Current president Nayib Bukele is running for re-election under his established political party: Nuevas Ideas. 

The official date of the Salvadoran general election is set for February 4, 2024.

South/Latin America

→ Venezuela

Under the presidency of Nicolas Maduro and Hugo Chavez, Venezuela has been experiencing a socioeconomic crisis as crime, hyperinflation, and resource shortages continue to plague the country. In the wake of the Venezuelan presidential elections, leading candidates such as Maria Corina Machado of the Vente Venezuela party have been disqualified due to accusations of alleged political crimes. Exacerbating the issue is the use of misinformation, death threats, and physical attacks by Chavismo supporters and the National Liberation Army against opposition candidates.

The current candidates still running for office are Jorge Arreaza, Diosdado Cabello, Rafael Lacava, and Nicolas Maduro, all under the United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

The official date of the Venezuelan presidential election is not confirmed.

→ Uruguay

The Uruguayan constitution prevents the current president from pursuing immediate re-election, so President Luis Lacalle Pou will not be in this race. The current candidates include Carolina Cosse of Frente Amplio, Álvaro Delgado of Parido Nacional, Yamandú Orsi of Frente Amplio, and Laura Raffo of Partido Nacional.

The official date of the Uruguayan general election is set for October 27, 2024.

Europe

→ Iceland

Even though the current Icelandic president is eligible to serve a third term, President Guðni Jóhannesson has declared that he will not seek one. Candidates including Axel Pétur Axelsson, Arnar Þór Jónsson, and Ástþór Magnússon have already declared their campaigns to run for office. Candidates have until April 26, 2024, to collect more than 1,500 voter signatures to secure ballot access.

The official date of the Icelandic presidential election is set for June 1, 2024. 

→ Sweden

The Swedish Democrats remain popular with support steadily increasing with voters approving of their promises ranging from closer cooperation with Nordic countries to even leaving the European Union if European integration becomes more prevalent within the organization.

The official date of the Swedish election to the European Parliament will take place on June 9, 2024.

→ France

The Rassemblement National is a major favorite in France for the 2024 European Parliament elections, where it seeks alliances with other far-right parties in Europe in the wake of a recent rise in far-right ideologies becoming more popular in many European countries.

The official date of the French election to the European Parliament will take place on June 9, 2024.

Africa

→ Chad

After the death of President Idriss Déby in 2021, his son Mahamat Déby has filled in as a transitional president. Mahamat Déby is now running for a full term as a candidate under the Patriotic Salvation Movement. As of right now, Mahamat is the only nominated candidate in running with the only potential candidate available to challenge him is Succes Masra under Les Transformateurs.

The official date of the Chadian presidential election will take place by October 2024.

→ South Africa

South Africa will hold general elections to elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislature in each province. This is the seventh general election held under new terms set after the end of South Africa’s apartheid era in 1994.

The official date of the South African general election is not confirmed, with the final date being set by the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, within 90 days of the end of the term of the current Parliament, in mid-May 2024.

→ Mozambique

Mozambique’s political landscape is defined by the dominant Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, where it has remained the biggest political party since the return of multiparty elections in 1994. Mozambique’s presidential elections in 2019 have seen controversy with claims of ballot box stuffing, intimidation of election observers, serious discrepancies in vote registers, and tabulation irregularities. Despite this, President Filipe Nyusi was still declared the winner. 

The official date of the Mozambican general election is set to be on October 9, 2024.

Asia

→ Mongolia

Mongolia will be holding elections to determine the members of its State Great Khurai. The current majority in Mongolia’s parliament is the MPP, with the Democratic and the HUN Party following, respectively. This election follows the cancellation of Article 39, Section 1 of the Mongolian constitution, where the Prime Minister and no more than four members of the Government can hold the office of the member of the State Great Khurai.

The official date of the Mongolian legislative election is set to be on June 28, 2024.

→ Taiwan

The Taiwanese elections in 2024 brought a lot of attention in response to the current state of affairs with China’s growing usage of “gray zone” tactics and the possibility of actual confrontations. The Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate William Lai was confirmed as the victor and successor of Tsai Ing-wen, beating out candidates including The Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih and Taiwan People’s Party Ko Wen-je. Beijing has already responded to the results of this election, with the small Pacific island nation of Nauru choosing to sever its diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a recent addition to a growing list of countries choosing to instead recognize China. This list includes Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic.

The Taiwanese presidential and legislative elections have already occurred on January 23, 2024.

→ Cambodia

This will mark the 5th Senate election in Cambodian history. Former prime minister Hun Sen has announced his intention to become President of the Senate. His main rival is Norodom Chakravuth of the National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC).

The official date of the Cambodian Senate election is set to be on February 25, 2024.

From Madagascar to Algeria, Bangladesh to India, amongst many other countries and independent territories, 2024 is set to bring many political changes to a large portion of the world’s population.