In news that may come as a shock to you, we’re almost halfway through this year. With that in mind, the TDA news team figured it’d be a good time to update you on the year’s biggest story, literally: 2024 is democracy’s biggest year ever.

Over the last couple of weeks alone, over a billion people have made their voices heard, with historic and sometimes surprising results.

Today, we’re taking you on a whistle-stop tour of the world’s elections from the safety of your screen. First up is South Africa, where 30 years into the post-Apartheid era, Nelson Mandela’s party has lost power for the first time.

Last week, South Africa’s main political party lost its majority for the first time since the end of Apartheid - the set of laws that limited or banned non-white people’s movements, education, jobs, pay, and marriage, among other restrictions.

South Africa’s 29 May election saw the African National Congress (ANC) win 40% of votes. It’s the first time the party’s popularity has dipped below 50%.

At the first post-Apartheid election in 1994, the ANC secured 63% of votes, and party leader Nelson Mandela became the President. 30 years later, inequality may not be enshrined in South African law as it was during Apartheid, but remains prevalent.

The World Bank, a global financial body aimed at limiting poverty, said South Africa has “one of the highest and most persistent inequality rates in the world”.

Unemployment is at 32.9%, compared to Australia’s unemployment rate of 4%. The latest police data shows there was an average of one murder every 20 minutes in South Africa from October to December 2023.

South Africa holds elections every five years. Voter turnout was historically low (59%) at this year’s poll, where the ANC fell into minority rule for the first time.

Its controversial leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, will likely need to negotiate with a smaller party, like the opposing Democratic Alliance (22% of votes) to form a coalition government and secure another term as President.

By Harry Sekulich

Claudia Sheinbaum, climate scientist and former mayor of Mexico City, has become Mexico’s first female president.

Sheinbaum defeated opposing candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, in the first Mexican election contested by two women.

Sheinbaum comes from leftist party Morena, the same as the outgoing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known by his initials AMLO). Under Mexico's constitution, presidents are limited to a single six-year term. AMLO has been President since 2018, meaning he’s served his maximum term as leader.

Before entering politics, Sheinbaum was part of a UN climate change research team that won the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

Sheinbaum has promised to expand AMLO’s social welfare programs, including a universal pension for the elderly, and a program that pays young people for apprenticeships.

She also pledged to invest over 238 billion pesos ($AU20b) in renewable energy by 2030. However, critics question whether she can steer the Morena Party away from its pro-fossil fuel legacy and deliver on her environmental promises.

This election has been named the country’s “bloodiest” in modern history. At least 30 political candidates were killed.

Sheinbaum’s victory also comes amid high rates of violence against women. According to data cited by the United Nations, ten women are killed every day by intimate partners or family members in Mexico.

In 2023, 2,580 women were murdered in Mexico. Authorities classified 32% of these cases as femicides — the intentional killing of a woman because of her gender.

By Chloe Christie

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to return for a third term as leader of the world’s most populous country.

His party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies won a majority in the recent Indian election, but saw a notable swing against them.

Nearly one billion people voted in the national poll over six weeks, making it the biggest vote in history.

Modi is India’s first leader to be born after independence from Britain.

Modi became Prime Minister in 2014. His Government is credited with driving economic growth and improving foreign relationships.

However, in the lead-up to the election, a group of UN human rights experts called on the Government to address violence, disappearances, and intimidation of its opponents.

Human Rights Watch has also accused the BJP, a Hindu Nationalist party, of enforcing “Hindu majoritarianism” — policies which prioritise the views of the majority of the population.

The BJP has previously responded to allegations of religious persecution by saying it “respects all religions”, although international observers have reported evidence of killing and assaults of people from religious minorities.

The BJP leads a coalition known as the ‘National Democratic Alliance’ (NDA).

Altogether, NDA parties have won about 290 seats, meaning it can form the next government.

A group of opposition parties known as INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) has won roughly 222 seats, cutting into the BJP’s majority from 2019, and the country’s most populous state swung against the Government.

By Harry Sekulich

If that wasn’t enough election news for you, the European Union is holding its elections this weekend too, with 720 spots in the continental Parliament up for grabs.

The EU Parliament passes laws that affect the whole continent. It will also choose a President to oversee its activities and bodies, and represent the EU at summits like the G7 and G20.

EU countries elect MPs based on the size of their population, ranging from Malta’s six to Germany’s 96.

Then, next month, the UK will go to the polls to usher in what’s expected to be a Labour landslide, ending 14 years of Conservative leadership.

Current PM Rishi Sunak has been campaigning in his signature Sambas, but the latest opinion polls suggest nothing will stop Opposition Leader Keir Starmer from leading his party to one of the UK Parliament’s biggest-ever majorities.

An arguably more highly anticipated and less predictable election is still ahead of us, with the U.S. presidential 2020 election re-match (Convicted Criminal Edition) on 5 November. Former President Donald Trump is almost certain to face current President Joe Biden on the ballot in November. In an article in The Atlantic this week, a German Government spokesperson said: “The only election all Europeans are interested in is the American election.” Anecdotally, this is true for Australians too.

It’s shaping up to be a historic year in elections around the world with plenty more votes to come.

As always, TDA will keep you across everything you need to know. Have a great weekend!

By Lucy Tassell

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