Polls on electoral matters conducted by The Economist have caused much discussion among pundits and political experts.
2024 has been called “the election year” due to the fact that citizens in 76 countries will be called upon to vote for the renewal of national or local representative institutions, or for the election of a new president. About two billion people will be involved in these electoral processes.
According to the British magazine, 43 of these countries will enjoy fully free elections; the other 33, however, will not be able to provide the essential conditions for a fully democratic vote.
Nevertheless, eight of the world’s 10 most populous nations – the United States, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico and Bangladesh – will hold elections in the current year.
The Economist’s predictions are not very optimistic, both regarding the democratic nature of the electoral processes that will be implemented in many countries and about the final outcomes.
According to the magazine, elections in most of these states will be neither free nor fair, and other prerequisites for democratic electoral contests, such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of association, are not guaranteed.
“Many elections will entrench illiberal rulers. Others will reward the corrupt and incompetent. By far the most important contest, America’s presidential election, will be so poisonous and polarizing that it will cast a pall over global politics.”
According to The Economist, in a scenario such as the current one marred by conflicts, from Ukraine to the Middle East, the direction the United States takes will greatly affect the future of the world’s geopolitical balance.
Some electoral contests appear to be “mystifications” in that the outcome already appears to be a foregone conclusion, such as those in Belarus, Rwanda and Russia. Putin, having amended the Constitution in 2020 to remove all relevant term limits, will certainly win the presidential election for the third consecutive time – and the fifth time overall.
This article is brought to you by UCA News in association with “La Civiltà Cattolica.”
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