Francesca Rudkin: A fascinating year for democracy

2024 has been a fascinating year for democracy with more than 60 countries holding elections.

It's been the biggest election year in global history, with around half the world's population having the opportunity to vote in local, regional, legislative, or presidential elections.

Democracy was tested as countries dealt with voter apathy, attempts to suppress opposition groups, and the impact of sophisticated disinformation campaigns.

Let's just say, not all the elections were equal, but the results were equally important, locally and globally. The results impact the world's complicated web of geopolitical linkages and issues and tensions. So, what have we learned from these elections in a year of political disruption?

Pew Research Center identified four trends. A tough year for incumbents, the staying power of right-wing populism, polarised battles over tradition and change, and international conflicts with political implications.

It certainly was a tough year for incumbents.

The Democrats, of course, in the US lost the presidency, Congress and the Senate. In the United Kingdom, 14 years of Conservative Party rule came to an end - which is nothing compared to the upheaval in Botswana, where the Democratic Party lost power for the first time in 60 years.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talksb.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Twenty twenty four has been a fascinating year for democracy,
with more than sixty countries holding election elections. It's been
the biggest election year in global history, with around half
the world's population having the opportunity to vote in local, regional,
legislative or presidential elections. Democracy was tested as countries dealt

(00:33):
with voter apathy, attempts to suppress opposition groups, and the
impact of sophisticated disinformation campaigns. Let's just say not all
the elections were equal, but the results were equally important
locally and globally. The results impact the world's complicated web
of geopolitical linkages and issues and tensions. So what have

(00:55):
we learned from these elections and a year of political disruption?
Pure Research Center identified four trends. A tough year for incumbents,
the staying power of right wing populan polarized battles over
tradition and change, and international conflicts with political implications. It
certainly was a tough year for incumbents. The Democrats, of course,

(01:18):
in the US lost the presidency, Congress, and the Senate
and the United Kingdom, fourteen years of Conservative Party rule
came to an end, which is nothing compared to the
upheaval in Botswana, where the Democratic Party lost power for
the first time in sixty years. There was a change
of government in South Korea in April as a means
to keep the president in check, and we've seen how
that's played out. Roughly eighty five percent of incumbents lost

(01:41):
power this year and those left and power suffered setbacks,
such as in India, Japan, South Africa and France, and
we're seeing how that's played out. One of the main
underlying issues was economic challenges such as rising costs, slow
production and the general state of economies post pandemic. Voters
have less patients if they don't like the direction their

(02:01):
country is going, and they're not holding back. They're whipping
up its storm on social media and voting for change,
often for change's sake. It's something that should be front
of mind for our leaders of coalition government as they
head into twenty twenty five. As the year has drawn
to a close, update on the economies have been gloomy.
Low productivity are dropping GDP a deep recession that's as

(02:21):
bad as the twenty twenty COVID related slump, a four
cast surplus that has been pushed out, job losses and
families struggling to get ahead. The government keeps reminding us
how dire things were before they arrived. Admittedly, there is
a bit of luck in the timing of when your
government takes over, but equally, if things are already going great,
you're less likely to have won the election. It was

(02:45):
never going to be easy to write the books, and
we're far from the only country struggling. But strong promises
were made and if they can't be achieved in three years,
voters will judge them for it. The government has a
lot of work to do in twenty twenty five to
show voters it is turning the direction of the country around.
Otherwise the incumbent curse may continue.

Speaker 1 (03:06):
For more from the Sunday Session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks at B from nine a m Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.