Whether on the left or the right, regardless of how long they’ve been in power, sitting govts around the world have been drubbed this year by disgruntled voters in what has been called the “super year” for elections.
70 Nations Went To Poll
Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election was just the latest in a long line of losses for incumbent parties in 2024, with people in some 70 countries accounting for about half the world’s population going to the polls. Issues driving voter discontent have varied widely, though there has been almost universal malaise since the Covid-19 pandemic as people and businesses struggle to get back on their feet while facing stubbornly high prices, cash-strapped govts and a surge in migration.
“There’s an overall sense of frustration with political elites, viewing them as out of touch,” said Richard Wike, director of global attitudes research at the Pew Research Centre. He noted that a Pew poll of 24 countries found that the appeal of democracy itself was slipping as voters reported increasing economic distress and a sense that no political faction truly represents them.
‘Incumbent Disadvantage’
Since the pandemic hit in 2020, incumbents have been removed from office in 40 of 54 elections in Western democracies, said Steven Levitsky, a political scientist at Harvard University, revealing “a huge incumbent disadvantage.”
In the UK, the Conservatives suffered their worst result since 1832 in July’s election, which returned the center-left Labour Party to power after 14 years. But just across the English Channel, the far right rocked the governing parties of France and Germany, the EU’s biggest and most powerful members, in June polls for the parliament of the 27-nation bloc.
In Asia, a group of South Korean liberal opposition parties, led by the Democratic Party, defeated the ruling conservative People Power Party in April’s parliamentary elections. Likewise, Japanese voters in October punished the Liberal Democratic Party, which has governed the country nearly without interruption since 1955. Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba will stay in power, but the greater-than-expected loss ended the LDP’s one-sided rule.
Short Honeymoon
Some newcomers to office have already found that the honeymoon following their wins has been short. UK PM Keir Starmer has seen his approval ratings plummet from a jaded electorate that wants lower prices and better public services – but is sceptical of politicians’ ability to deliver change.
Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester, said it’s a problem for democracy when voters are so quick to pass judgment. “If voters are the electoral equivalent of a hanging judge, putting politicians to the gallows whether they be guilty or innocent, then what incentive is there for govts to try?” he asked. “The angels and the devils get chucked out alike, but being an angel is harder”.
