 "This Year in Elections: From India to the US, how elections defined 2024")
2024 was the year of the elections. More than 60 countries cast their ballots and this included the world’s oldest and the world’s largest democracies – the United States and India.
Several countries voted against the incumbents – in the UK, the Labour Party won, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. Keir Starmer replaced Rishi Sunak as the prime minister.
In most dramatic of all elections, of course, was the US presidential race. There were assassination attempts that Donald Trump survived. In a shock move, Joe Biden pulled out of the race after a disastrous debate performance against his rival. The Democrats went on to pick Kamala Harris to take on Trump. Pollsters said the election would be neck and neck. They were proved wrong and Americans voted for Trump and how.
In India, the results threw a surprise. Yes, Narendra Modi went on to win a third term but not with the numbers he hoped for. Modi 3.0 has been about coalition politics. Six months on, it has been smooth sailing.
There were elections in the neighbourhood, Pakistan and Sri Lanka both went to polls. Japan and France are among the other nations that saw political upheaval because of elections. And Russia held polls too with Vladimir Putin remaining president. (No surprises)
In our yearly roundup, here’s a throwback of elections from around the world.
INDIA: 2024 Lok Sabha elections
1. The Narendra Mod-led National Democratic Alliance had set a target of winning 400 seats in the Lok Sabha. However, the bloc missed the mark and bagged only 292 seats. The BJP won 240, which was a big decline from the 303 it boasted in the previous election in 2019. So what changed in this election ?
2. One of the big setbacks for the BJP in Lok Sabha was its poor performance in the key state of Uttar Pradesh. The Samajwadi Party-Congress alliance secured 43 out of the state’s 80 Lok Sabha seats compared to the NDA’s 36 (which won 64 in 2019). In Ayodhya, the saffron party lost five out of the nine seats including the Faizabad constituency – the home of the Ram temple, which was inaugurated in January with an eye on the polls. So did the party’s plan backfire? Find out in one of our most-read stories on the Indian election.
Impact Shorts
More Shorts3. After the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP got into damage control mode. It defied anti-incumbency and scored a hat-trick in the Haryana Assembly elections in October. Its next target was Maharashtra. The Mahayuti alliance of the BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar-led NCP secured a big win in the state. And PM Modi had a role to play . With this, the party ended a year on a high note.
United States: 2024 presidential elections
1. Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential elections was historic. It’s not every day that you see comebacks of that sort. In fact, he is only the second in American history to win the White House after a re-election bid.
Trump is also the first Republican to win the popular vote in two decades. What is this vote and how did the now president-elect pull off this feat? We explain .
2. Narendra Modi was among the first leaders to congratulate Trump after his victory. Their bromance during the president-elect’s first term grabbed headlines. But does that mean he will spare India when it comes to his tariff plan? It doesn’t look like . What does the second Trump presidency mean for India ? How will it impact India-US ties, trade and defence?
3. On the night of November 6, the US media called the election, declaring Donald Trump the winner. However, as of today, Joe Biden is still the president of the United States. Trump is now president-elect and he will take over at noon on 20 January. But why the long wait ?
United Kingdom: 2024 general election
1. The UK saw a change in government. The Labour Party won, ending the 14-year rule of the Conservative Party. It was a stunning comeback for Labour, which saw its worst electoral defeat in over 80 years.
The man behind the win was Keir Starmer, now the UK’s prime minister. Here’s how he scripted the win .
2. The exit of the Conservative Party made India nervous. Under its earlier chief Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party was widely perceived as antagonistic towards New Delhi. However, Starmer might be good news for New Delhi. Here’s why .
Pakistan: 2024 general elections
Pakistan held elections in February this year. However, it wasn’t until a month later that it decided on a prime minister.
There was talk that Nawaz Sharif would make a comeback. However, that changed after the PMN-L won fewer seats than expected. Instead, his brother Shehbaz Sharif got the top job. But it’s not an easy job.
Economic instability continues to grip Pakistan. With Imran Khan wielding influence from behind bars, the threat of a political upheaval looms large. We look at the challenges that Sharif faces .
Sri Lanka: 2024 presidential election
After wading through political and economic crises, Sri Lanka held its first presidential election in September. It got a new leader in Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The 55-year-old Marxist fended off competition from opposition leader Sajith Premadasa and then President Ranil Wickremesinghe. In this story, we profile Dissanayake and analyse his policies .
Russia: 2024 presidential election
Amid war, Russia too held its presidential election. The country insists it’s a democracy but the results are forseeable. In March, Vladimir Putin claimed his fifth term in office. Another presidency which will last six years means he will remain in office until 2030. But what does this mean for the war in Ukraine and the world? This explainer answers the questions.
Japan: 2024 general election
Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called for snap polls this October. It shook up politics in the country as the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost its majority for the first time in 15 years. But what does this mean for party and the country ?
That’s our yearly roundup of how elections around the world unfolded. If you have a keen interest in geopolitics, bookmark this page . Happy reading!
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