More than 50 countries, home to half of the world’s population, are set to hold national elections in 2024. However, the number of citizens exercising their right to vote does not necessarily bring good news. The year is expected to test even the strongest democracies and bolster the hands of leaders with authoritarian tendencies.
From Russia, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom to India, El Salvador, and South Africa, presidential and legislative elections hold significant implications for human rights, economies, international relations, and peace prospects in an unstable world.
In some countries, the elections may not be free or fair. In many others, restrictions on opposition candidates, voter fatigue, and risks of manipulation and disinformation have made the fate of democracy a central campaign issue.
Climate change, disruptions in cereal supply due to the war in Ukraine, and the growing attention from China and Russia are among the forces reshaping Africa, the continent experiencing the fastest growth globally.
Eight West African countries have witnessed military coups since 2020, including Niger and Gabon in 2023. Senegal, considered a bastion of stability in the region, faces a crucial political test as President Macky Sall steps down, with elections on February 25 seen as an indicator of the country’s political resilience.
Supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko accuse the government of attempting to prevent him from running through a series of legal actions that triggered deadly protests. The presidential election could either “mark a return to the norms of previous years or signal a lasting shift towards more volatile politics,” said Tochi Eni-Kalu, an analyst with the Eurasia Group.
In South Africa, legislative elections scheduled between May and August take place against a backdrop of economic challenges, crippling power outages, and an unemployment rate of nearly 32%. Overcoming voter disillusionment will challenge the long-dominant African National Congress (ANC).
The ANC has held the presidency and a parliamentary majority since the end of apartheid in 1994, but the once-revered organization garnered less than half the votes in the 2021 local elections. If its support falls below 50%, the party will need to form a coalition to ensure lawmakers re-elect President Cyril Ramaphosa.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, plans to hold its long-delayed first elections in December. While this would be a significant milestone, the current conditions pose many dangers and could be doomed to fail.
Nicholas Haysom, who heads the UN mission in the country, told the Security Council last month that voter registration modalities, a security plan, and a means to resolve disputes were among the missing elements to ensure free elections “deemed credible and acceptable by the citizens of South Sudan.”
Source: africanews.
