The United States of America
The US presidential election is currently underway, in what is shaping up to be a neck-to-neck fight between incumbent President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Former Vice President Joe Biden. Biden currently holds a 253 – 214 lead over Trump in Electoral College (EC) votes, with narrow leads in the contested states of Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania, and Nevada as well, making his path to victory much more likely.
Trump continues to maintain a lead in North Carolina, but will need Pennsylvania and Georgia, and either Nevada or Arizona to secure a second term. Though the Trump campaign pursued legal action in several key states challenging ‘voting irregularities’, it has lost all those fights, which means that vote counting will continue, and the final results will be declared only after the counting is complete. However, President Trump has said that he has no plans to concede if he loses the White House, and his campaign is expected to demand recounts in certain states.
UPDATE: On Saturday, November 7, Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris were declared winners of the US presidential election. Both Biden and Harris took the stage in Biden’s hometown of Wilmington, Delaware, to deliver their victory speeches. Biden stressed that getting the coronavirus pandemic under control would be his administration’s first priority and that he would appoint members of his COVID-19 task force on Monday. Donald Trump has yet to deliver a concession speech, however, his campaign has said that they would pursue all available legal remedies to ensure result accuracy.
Kyrgyzstan
On October 15, Sadyr Japarov, a nationalist politician and convicted felon—who was released from prison and made Prime Minister earlier that week amid unrest following Kyrgyzstan’s disputed election—declared that he had been confirmed as the president of Kyrgyzstan following the resignation of his predecessor, Sooronbai Jeenbekov, earlier that day. Jeenbekov announced his decision to step down in the face of mass protests against the official results of parliamentary elections on October 4, that handed victory to political parties associated with Jeenbekov and his government.
This is the first time in the history of the central Asian country that the powers of the president, prime minister, and parliament are all in the hands of one person. Per the Kyrgyz constitution, Japarov must now oversee a presidential election within three months in which he himself cannot run. However, he has said that he will run for the position in the January 2021 vote, if the parliament approves constitutional amendments to allow it.
Japan
On September 14, Yoshihide Suga became Japan’s 99th Prime Minister, following the resignation of long-serving premier Shinzo Abe due to health concerns. Suga was Abe’s chief Cabinet secretary and head government spokesman and has pledged to press forward with his predecessor’s key policies, including his efforts to revive the economy and revise Japan’s post-war constitution, which restricts the use of its military. The 49th general election of Japan is scheduled for October 22, 2021, as required by the country’s constitution.
Kosovo
Kosovo President and former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leader Hashim Thaçi resigned on Thursday to face charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity at The Hague after his indictment was confirmed by a pre-trial judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chamber (KSC). The special tribunal was set up to try alleged war crimes during the 1998-99 conflict between Kosovo and Serbia, and Thaçi has been charged on 10 counts, which include murder, enforced disappearances, persecution, and torture.
He was arrested later in the day on Thursday and was transported to The Hague for his trial, along with Kadri Veseli, leader of Thaçi’s Democratic Party, and MP Rexhep Selimi – fellow former leaders of the KLA who have also been indicted. Presidential duties have now been handed over to Parliament Speaker Vjosa Osmani until a new president is elected. The next presidential elected is scheduled to take place in March 2021.
Lebanon
On October 22, Lebanon named former leader Saad Hariri as Prime Minister, just one year after he stepped down from the post following nationwide protests and unrest over a dooming economic crisis that ultimately led to the expulsion of his government. Hariri is the country’s third PM since the devastating August blast in Beirut, which destroyed large parts of the capital, leading to demonstrations demanding an overhaul of the political system. According to the World Bank, $4.6 billion was lost in material damage and $3.2 billion in associated economic losses due to the explosion. Hariri follows Hassan Diab (who was also his successor after his ousting in 2019) and Mustapha Adib.
Tanzania
President John Magufuli was declared the victor of the country’s recently concluded election, with 12.5 million votes, or 84%; this was over 10 million more than his nearest challenger, Tundu Lissu. Lissu, however, has described the election as ‘fraudulent’ and warned that Tanzania is going down the same path as Zimbabwe. There were reports of pre-filled ballots, ballot stuffing, and opposition polling agents being denied entry into voting stations. In addition, over 100 organizations that have traditionally monitored electoral proceedings in Tanzania were barred from monitoring the 2020 vote.
Since entering office five years ago, Magufuli has fast-tracked a legislation that now bans all forms of digital protests, whereby organizing, planning, or even supporting any form of demonstration on the internet has now been deemed illegal. Before and during the vote, at least 11 civilians were killed amid widespread protests.
Ivory Coast
President Alassane Ouattara secured a third five-year term amidst controversial circumstances, wherein he ran essentially unopposed, after two key opposition candidates boycotted the election in protest. Although he garnered 94.27% of the vote, this was largely due to the fact that former President Henri Konan Bédié and former Prime Minister Pascal Affi N’Guessan renounced their candidacies. Furthermore, Laurent Gbagbo and former PM Guillaume Soro were barred from running altogether, which has only served to fuel tensions even further. This left just outsider Kouadio Konan Bertin running against the President, and he ultimately garnered just under 2% of votes.
Critics and the opposition argue that Ouattara’s candidacy was unconstitutional, as it subverts the two-term limit. However, Ouattara has responded by saying that, by drafting a new constitution in 2016, he had effectively reset his term counter.
The opposition called on citizens to abstain from voting as an act of protest against Ouattara’s ‘unconstitutional’ candidacy, and alleges that only 10% of Ivorians have voted. However, there is no constitutionally mandated minimum voter participation rate for an election result to be considered valid.
The 78-year-old Ouattara had earlier indicated that he would step aside to make way for younger candidates and respect the constitutional term limits. However, following the death of PM Amadou Gon Coulibaly in July, he threw his name into the basket once more.
It is thought that at least 30 civilians have been killed in recent weeks after protesting against what they see as a fraudulent election.
Guinea
In the months leading up to the election, President Alpha Condé amended the constitution to allow himself to run for a third five-year term.
Condé reportedly secured 59.49% of the vote, compared to main opposition candidate Cellou Dalein Diallo’s 33.5%, with voter turnout estimated at 80%. Prior to the announcement by electoral authorities, Diallo had in fact proclaimed victory for himself. However, his comments were declared “void” by the National Electoral Commission.
Condé’s re-election has been backed by observers from the African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), who put their weight behind the electoral process in the country. They said that the elections were “held in a transparent, secure, calm, and peaceful environment”.
The opposition, however, alleges vote-rigging. Diallo’s party, the Union of Democratic Forces of Guinea (UFDG), is preparing to file a complaint with the nation’s constitutional court. Some of the irregularities cited by the UFDG include the fact that the CENI recorded voter turnout of close to 100% in regions dominated by the ruling RPG party, which the opposition contends is unlikely and unrealistic. They claim to have “actual records from these areas showing that turnout didn’t exceed 50%”. Likewise, opposition alliance party Modern Guinea says that its vote count shows that Diallo secured 52% of the vote to Condé’s 39%.
It is estimated that at least 30 people have been killed in the aftermath of the disputed election.
Seychelles
Opposition candidate and Anglican priest Wavel Ramkalawan defeated incumbent President Danny Faure in Seychelles' presidential election, giving the opposition its first victory since 1997. He gathered 54.9% of the votes, compared to 43.5% for Faure.
Mali
In August, Mali’s President and Prime Minister, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and Boubou Cissé, were arrested by soldiers in Bamako late in a military coup led by Army colonel Assimi Goïta. They were soon released, but, in the immediate aftermath of the coup and Keïta’s ouster, the military junta proposed a three year transitional government, wherein the head of state would be a military figure and the government would be “mostly composed of soldiers”.
This proposal was rejected by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), whose mediation team is led by former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. ECOWAS remains steadfast in its demand for a return to civilian rule. The coup was also condemned by France, the European Union, the United Nations, the United Stares, and the African Union.
Since then however, the junta has appointed former defence minister Colonel Major Ba N’Daou as Mali’s interim president for 18 months and former foreign affairs minister Moctar Ouane as the country’s new prime minister. Ouane is a former diplomatic adviser to the ECOWAS and this perhaps played a role in the organization lifting sanctions on the country, which involved border closures and a suspension on financial transfers to the country.
While the ECOWAS did stress on Keïta being reinstated into power, it has now seemingly approved the military junta’s assembly of a transitional government and promise of a return to civilian rule after 18 months.
Bolivia
Luis Arce, the candidate from ousted former leader Evo Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), claimed a comfortable victory over his closest rival, Carlos Mesa, with just over 52% of the vote, compared to Mesa’s 31.5%. Meanwhile, the We Believe Alliances’ candidate, Luis Fernando Camacho, received 14.1% of the votes.
Arce replaces Right-wing Senator Jeanine Áñez, who became the interim president in November 2019, leading a coalition of the Democrat Social Movement party and four other parties. Former President Evo Morales led the nation from 2006 to 2019 and won three consecutive elections and ran for a fourth term in October 2019 prior to his resignation in November. This was in contravention of the three-term limit, a law that was reinforced by the fact that citizens voted against a constitutional amendment that would remove this limit in 2016. Nevertheless, he contested the election, and was declared the winner. However, several irregularities prompted suggestions of vote-rigging, resulting in widespread protests, ultimately leading to his resignation on November 10 under military and public pressure.
During her time in office, Áñez attempted to undo some of Morales’ leftist influence on the country’s policies and its foreign relations. However, since Arce returned the MAS party to power, he has begun to reinstate the country’s left-wing tendencies by announcing that he will look to restore strong diplomatic ties with Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran, denouncing the ‘ideological’ shift under Áñez.
New Zealand
Incumbent New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern secured her re-election in October via a landslide victory, with her Labour Party gaining 49% of the vote, well ahead of the conservative National Party, which garnered only 27% of the vote.
The Kiwi leader is widely celebrated for her compassionate and strong response to the Christchurch mosque attack last year that led to 51 deaths. In the aftermath of the event, her administration swiftly banned assault rifles. Labour’s victory is also seen as a resounding rejection of the populist New Zealand First and Advance NZ parties.
Ardern had previously hinted that she would be willing to form a coalition government; in fact, no party has won an outright majority since the country switched to a proportional voting system 24 years ago. Moreover, this is Labour’s biggest electoral victory in 50 years and represents somewhat of a historic moment in terms of the seats secured, given that New Zealand politics has traditionally been dominated by coalition-led governments. The Labour party has ruled in a coalition government with New Zealand First and the Green Party since 2017.
The PM has spoken with Green Party co-leaders James Shaw and Marama Davidson to cement her standing as a “consensus builder”; the Green Party secured 10 seats in parliament. Nevertheless, she said that the ruling party would take a few weeks to decide whether or not to move forward with a coalition. The Labour Party has been in somewhat of an uneasy partnership with the New Zealand First party, given the latter’s nationalist outlook compared to Ardern’s more left-leaning vision.
An Overview of Recent Elections and Transfers of Power Across the Globe
Over the past two months, there have been numerous elections and changes in power. We take a look at a few of the countries that have either changed course or continued along the same path.
November 7, 2020
IMAGE SOURCE: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGESGuinean President Alpha Condé amended the constitution to allow himself to run for a third five-year term, and ultimately emerged victorious in the election.