About half the world's population in more than 70 countries went to the polls in 2024, which was dubbed the “super election year” – the biggest year in human history.
A record number of 3.7 billion people with many kicking out leaders they felt were not serving them.
Ahead of some polls, experts were concerned .
The most prominent of these was the United States elections, in which former Republican President Donald Trump, in the lead-up, he took on the Democratic party's candidate, Kamala Harris – a contest .
Donald Trump surrounded by family and supporters during his election night party on November 6 in Florida. Source: MONKEY / Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/TNS/ABACAPRESS.COM
Flinders University academic and director of the Jeff Bleich Center for Democracy and Disruptive Technologies, Rodrigo Praino, says there has been a peaceful exchange of power in many countries this year, but democracy is “certainly under threat” in several ways.
Praino says the rise of has been a significant challenge, pointing to allegations of foreign interference in the elections.
“Specifically the US elections – the possibility of candidates [such as Trump] is of great importance to all of us.”
Praino explains that the Western concept of democracy cannot coexist with the idea of electoral irregularities .
Trump's language has also had far-reaching consequences, Praino says, including in Australia despite the country's robust elections, it raises doubts about democratic processes.
Mixed results around the world
Matt Qvortrup, professor of constitutional law at the Australian National University, agrees that democracy has improved in some ways this year, but has deteriorated in others.
Qvortrup declares democracy Serbia appears to fall under the rule of the Serbian nationalist party SNS and its president Aleksandar Vučić. During a repeat of local elections in June, which took place following allegations of election fraud last year, observers found dozens of irregularities, including vote buying and duplicate voter registrations.
In Taiwanvotersdespite China labeling him as a separatist. But Qvortrup notes that the party has lost its majority in parliament, which will make it harder for Lai to pass legislation amid Chinese pressure for Taiwan's “reunification” with the mainland.
William Lai (Lai Ching-te) was re-elected as Taiwan's president, but his party lost its majority in parliament. Source: MONKEY / Daniel Ceng/EPA
With a result that shocked no one, by Russia in March, winning 87.8 percent of the vote. US White House representatives said the election was “clearly neither free nor fair” and noted that Putin's main opponents were dead, jailed or exiled.
It was a mixed picture Turkey where voters a. His rival Ekrem İmamoğlu was re-elected as mayor of Istanbul and now represents the biggest threat to Erdoğan and his AK Party in his two decades in power. While some believe this could be the beginning of the end for the strong leader, Qvortrup says democracy in Türkiye remains “very much tested”.
Meanwhile, events in Bangladesh were a little more encouraging. In January, then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in office but she was later forced to flee the country . Renowned economist to lead a new interim government.
Sheikh Hasina was re-elected as Prime Minister of Bangladesh, but later fled the country. Source: MONKEY / Tobias Hase/DPA
In the United Kingdom, Fourteen years of Conservative Party rule came to an end. It came after the Conservatives introduced a number of rule changes to make it harder for opposition parties to win, including requiring voters to show photo ID, which stopped thousands of people from casting their votes in local elections.
The rise of far-right groups, especially in Germany And Franceis also worrying, but Qvortrup says they have been kept out of power so far due to cooperation between more liberal parties.
Rise of the extreme right
The far right is considered a danger to democracy because of its connection with fascist ideals.
Associate Professor Ben Wellings, a political scientist at Monash University, says her supporters “enjoy playing with” the pluralism – the coexistence of two or more political groups – that democracy requires.
This has made the rise of far-right groups worrying, especially during the Second World War elections European Parliament in June.
The parliament has representatives elected by citizens of European Union countries and is the second largest democratic electorate in the world.
Marine Le Pen's far-right party – National Rally (RN) – received 31 percent of the French vote.
This is significantly more than the 15 percent that French President Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance Party won as part of his coalition.
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) also won 16 percent of the German vote.
According to Wellings' assessment, the right side of politics has thought more creatively and seems to respond better to technological disruption than left-wing and centrist parties.
The right side…actually captures ideas and imagination in a way that [makes] the center left seems paralyzed.
Associate Professor Ben Wellings, political scientist at Monash University
Right-wing incumbent governments also appear to have weathered the dissatisfaction with economic conditions more successfully.
Wellings points out Indiawhere the right-wing government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been able to stay in power even with its might after this year's national elections.
“[There’s] something about the right-wing messages that fit the mood of the voters,” says Wellings.
I think the mood overall is one of anger and resentment toward the political class, especially the left and center, for their inability to respond effectively to economic challenges.
Wellings adds that right-wing parties, such as the Republicans in the US, now appear to represent the 'worst off' of society, while centre-left parties represent those who are 'better off'.
“Thirty years ago we could have expected it to be the other way around.”
The right sets the agenda
Although the far right has failed to seize power in some countries, its support has grown worldwide and, according to Wellings, it appears to be setting the agenda in some countries.
In FranceMacron called early elections in July to reaffirm his position on RN, which had been strengthened during the European Parliament elections. RN ultimately came third in the French elections and is now the largest party in the country.
and this has forced him to work with both the left and the right in parliament.
French President Emmanuel Macron failed to reassert the authority of his centrist alliance after snap elections following the rise of the far-right National Rally (RN) party. Source: Getty
In GermanyEarly federal elections have been called for February 23 next year in response to the collapse of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition and amid growing support for his domestic far-right AfD party.
Ahead of election day, the AfD reaches around 18 percent of the electorate – although other parties have pledged not to cooperate with the AfD, effectively preventing the AfD from taking power.
Qvortrup believes that the AfD will poll well in Germany, but that support will not be high enough to form a government.
“The threat from the far right is a concern, but we need to put it in perspective. The parties that absolutely want to undermine democracy get very few votes,” he said.
[Far right parties] have not won elections, but have had strong results in elections – it is a very big difference.
Praino says the collaboration between centrist and left-wing parties to prevent far-right groups from claiming power in countries like France shows that politics is alive and well.
“There is always a way forward to ensure that the real will of the majority of the population prevails, rather than a relatively small group hijacking the system based on the rules of the game.”
Lessons for democratic parties
The rise of the far right should push Democratic parties to address the policy issues they raise, such as how they address climate change and rising immigration, Qvortrup says.
'I think democracy has weathered the storm [so far] by being willing to listen to people,” he says.
In the USAlthough Trump is seen as an authoritarian figure, Qvortrup says this is likely to be the case and it remains to be seen what he will do once in office.
Qvortrup notes that 10 US states also held referendums on abortion on Election Day, and at least four of them voted for Trump while supporting more abortion rights.
“So I think the American electorate is sophisticated,” he says.
Trump will also likely lose his majority in Congress in two years and will not be able to run for a third term.
Qvortrup says changing the two-term limit for presidential candidates would require a two-thirds majority in Congress and a three-quarters majority in all U.S. states.
“The mechanism that turns America into a system where governments cannot lose elections, like in Hungary or Venezuela, is very unlikely to happen.”
Globally on the road to 'change'
Praino says the mix of election results this year – with a move to the right in the US and a move to the left in Britain – shows that the world is actually “moving towards change”.
I don't think it's very clear at this stage that there's a real shift to the right, but I think we'll know very soon as these new political forces start to rule. [and] we will understand where they are.
Professor Rodrigo Praino, Flinders University
Wellings agrees, saying there may be a difference between what Trump says and what he actually does.
However, Wellings says he would be nervous if he were an adviser to the Labor Party Australiawho will also feel the wrath of voters at the ballot box next year if pressure on the cost of living does not improve.
Qvortrup says that democracy is the only political system that allows for different views and actually allows people to live together.
“Democracy has been on the run this year, but [we] have occasionally confronted reality and in many ways succeeded. So I think we're in a better place now than we were a year ago.
“I would say democracy is fighting back.”
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