More than 50 countries around the world will go to the polls this year, electing new leaders or continuing old ones. In this report, we will take a look at the choices in each country and their impact on the future of countries and global issues.
The year 2024 began in light of important events such as the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the Russian-Ukrainian war that has been ongoing for almost two years. With elections scheduled to be held in the new year, the events and changes taking place in the world will be of great importance.
Two major powers, the United States and Russia, are expected to influence global dynamics by identifying their new leaders. In this process, the policies of elected leaders will have significant impacts on international relations, security and peace, according to a report published by the TRT Haber website .
While Israel's regional policies and the course of the Russian-Ukrainian war stand out as critical issues affecting stability around the world, how the international community reacts to these events and the way new leaders deal with these problems will be an important point of observation.
Big rematch in the USA
A major runoff election is expected in the United States. The potential race between President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump in the United States is of great importance in the 2024 election calendar, because Trump's victory in November may constitute a "critical" turning point for the United States.
An opinion poll conducted in the United States from November 10 to 14, 2023, showed that the votes of the 81-year-old Biden had decreased since October 7, coinciding with the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
According to the poll, in which Biden received fewer votes than former US President Trump for the first time, Trump received the votes of 46% of the total voters, which put him two points ahead of Biden, who remained at 44%.
In another poll conducted in the United States of America, more than half of voters stated that they do not want US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump to be candidates in the 2024 presidential elections, according to TRT Haber .
According to the poll conducted by AP-NORC with 1,074 people, most voters in the country are dissatisfied with the candidacy of Biden and Trump in the 2024 presidential elections.
Will Russia choose Putin again?
Presidential elections in Russia are scheduled for March 17, 2024. Russian President Vladimir Putin has formally applied by submitting documents to the Central Election Commission to become an independent candidate in the scheduled election.
With the constitutional reform in Russia, the 71-year-old Putin could be re-elected after the end of his current term in 2024. Thus, Putin will have the right to serve as president for two additional terms of 6 years each. This means that the Russian president will remain in power until 2036 if he is elected for two consecutive terms.
While the application process continues for candidates who will compete against Putin, Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny called on his supporters to vote for anyone other than Putin.
After being elected president twice in a row, Putin served as prime minister between 2008 and 2012 because the Russian constitution does not allow the presidency for more than two terms. He was re-elected as president in the elections held in 2012, where he obtained 63.6% of the votes.
The previous presidential elections were held in Russia on March 18, 2018. Putin became president for the fourth time, obtaining 76.69% of the votes.
Will the government change in England?
The 2016 Brexit referendum and former Prime Minister Boris Johnson's tenure were extremely turbulent for the United Kingdom.
The general elections scheduled to be held in the United Kingdom this year will pit the ruling Conservative Party against the center-left Labor Party, which is trying to reach power again after 14 years and is clearly ahead in the opinion polls.
Europe and the return of the right
Looking at Europe, there will be nine parliamentary elections, including England, and one of the biggest challenges facing incoming governments will be finding coalition partners to form a majority. The far right is expected to continue gaining power in 2024, according to CNN .
Portugal is preparing to run early elections in Portugal in March. This comes on the heels of a corruption investigation that led to the expulsion of the country's Socialist prime minister after eight years in office, and could herald a shift to the far-right Chiga (Enough) party. Likewise, the right appears poised to make significant gains in the Austrian elections scheduled for the fall.
Romania, Slovakia and Lithuania go to the polls in 2024. While Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová, who took office in 2019, announced that she will not run again in the next elections, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausěda announced that he will run again for a five-year term as leader of the Baltic state. It is a member of the European Union and NATO.
Controversial elections in Pakistan
General elections in Pakistan are scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024. In the country with nearly 127 million voters, the new government that will rule the country for the next five years will be determined in the general elections.
Interim Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar's statement that "free and fair general elections" would be possible without jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was convicted of corruption and arrested on August 5, 2023, has sparked controversy in the country.
For his part, former Prime Minister Khan's party, Secretary General of the Justice Movement of Pakistan, Omar Ayub Khan, condemned Kakar's statements, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan declared this comment "undemocratic and reckless."
While the Election Commission of Pakistan has requested support from the armed forces to ensure security in the general elections scheduled to be held on February 8, 2024.
The last general elections in Pakistan were held on July 25, 2018, and Imran Khan's government took power.
The shadow of China looms over the elections in Taiwan
On January 13, the presidential elections held in Taiwan, which is in a sovereignty dispute with China, resulted in the victory of incumbent Vice President Lai Ching-te, the candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party.
Tsai Ing-wen, who has served as president of the island for two terms under the Democratic Progressive Party government since 2016, is expected to leave her seat on May 20, 2024, when her term ends.
The Democratic Progressive Party, which won the elections, is expected to continue its tense relations with China.
According to CNN , Cheng Te's victory is anathema to China with his pledge to continue the resolute defense of the island's sovereignty, which was set by current President Tsai Ing-wen.
What about Latin America?
Turning to Latin America, Mexico is set to have its first female president. There are two female candidates on the ballot for the two major parties in the June elections, with drugs, crime and immigration to the United States at the top of the political agenda.
General elections are scheduled to be held in El Salvador on February 4, 2024, as Najib Bukele, who is of Palestinian origin, is preparing to run in the electoral race again as a representative of the New Ideas Party. Some lawyers object to the nomination of Bukele, who announced last September his candidacy for a second five-year term, claiming that it is unconstitutional. However, despite constitutional debates, Congress agreed to grant President Bukele leave to run again.
El Salvador, one of the countries with the highest homicide rates in the world, is experiencing serious security problems due to gang violence.
Elsewhere, Venezuelan nationalist leader Nicolas Maduro will seek a new mandate, at a time when his country is locked in a border battle with neighboring Guyana over oil rights.
The United States and Canada suspend funding for UNRWA due to Israeli accusations
The United States and Canada suspended new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following Israel's accusation that some of the agency's employees participated in the attack launched by Hamas on October 7.
The United States and Canada announced the temporary suspension of new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), following Israel's accusation that some of the agency's employees participated in the attack launched by Hamas on October 7.
The US State Department said, in a statement published on its website, that “Washington is disturbed by the allegations that 12 UN agency employees participated in the Hamas attack.”
The statement added, "The US State Department decided to temporarily suspend new funding to the UN agency until a review of these allegations is completed and the steps the United Nations takes to deal with them."
For his part, Canadian Minister of International Development, Ahmed Hussein, said in a statement, “Canada has temporarily suspended any new funding to UNRWA, while it conducts a comprehensive investigation into allegations that its employees participated in the Hamas attack,” according to the Canadian “National Post” website.
In this regard, Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Hussein Al-Sheikh, called on the countries that announced the cessation of their support for UNRWA to immediately reverse their decision, adding that “the decision entails great political and relief risks.”
On Friday, UNRWA said it had opened an investigation into allegations of the involvement of a number of its employees in the October 7 attacks. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement: “The Israeli authorities provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of a number of UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on the Gaza Strip on October 7.”
He continued: "To protect the agency's ability to provide humanitarian assistance, I have taken the decision to immediately terminate the contracts of these employees and begin an investigation in order to find the truth without delay."