31 January 2021
Voters in Australia can look, with mixed feelings, at elections in other countries, and they should be grateful for what they’ve got. For sure, nobody would really describe Australia’s system of voting as the best anywhere, but who’s got the best? When looking elsewhere, I think to myself, “I’m glad that Australia doesn’t have that.”
In any case, Australia’s elections can be like others in this world, which went somewhat crazy last year after a coronavirus outbreak and a subsequent pandemic. This changed how elections can be conducted, and might well be conducted in future. Increasingly, people will vote early if they can, in order to avoid standing in extraordinarily lengthy queues on election day. But with this change, much stays the same at election time.
Last year, much worldwide focus was on the United States of America, as a presidential election took place there in November. While presidential elections in the US regularly attract worldwide attention, this had more attention than usual. Wealthy loudmouth Donald Trump shocked the world with a win in 2016, and with unusual ways of doing presidential business, Trump made countless people more energetic than ever before, albeit for different reasons.
Trump was either loved or loathed. But those loathing him doubted whether a capable rival could challenge him. His eventual election rival was Joe Biden, who’d previously served as Vice-President. But many rated Biden incapable of a win. Despite the loathing of Trump, Biden didn’t exactly appeal.
On election night, there was no clear result. But Trump was calling himself the winner, even with countless votes to be counted, while Biden patiently waited.
What happened after that was utterly bizarre. As votes were being counted, it looked like Biden was on track to win – though he kept waiting. Meanwhile, Trump proclaimed that the election was being “stolen” from him, and he declared that he’d have various results challenged in court. Nothing ultimately resulted from court challenges.
But with Trump denying defeat, and with two months always passing between election day and the time for swearing in the election winner, I wasn’t willing to describe Trump as beaten until he’d left the White House – the official presidential residence. A deadly rampage by Trump supporters soon took place in the US capital Washington. But with Biden finally declared the election winner, Trump’s violent supporters failed to overturn the result. And there were global sighs of relief when Biden was sworn in as President.
All around the world, people regard the US as championing freedom in voting, whereas lots of countries have unfair “elections”. But the antics of Trump might’ve echoed those of dictators unable to accept defeat. The US looked chaotic for some time.
Globally, elections have been, and will be, chaotic at times.
For chaos, I could look at Israel, in the Middle East. Over recent years, voters in Israel have been to the polls a few times, with nobody either winning a majority of legislative seats or forming a workable alliance with others to govern. This year, another election will occur. Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iran has a presidential election coming, and with the incumbent stepping down, Iranians will have a new leader – though religious clerics will be more powerful than whoever wins the presidency.
I dare say that Israel is more democratic and tolerant than other countries in the Middle East – many of them hating the existence of Israel and eager to destroy it.
It’s worth noting another country whose mere existence affronts its neighbour. That country is Taiwan, in the Asia-Pacific. Across a strait from Taiwan lies China, a country with more people than any other worldwide, but with an undemocratic regime. Last year, a presidential election occurred in Taiwan, and voters returned the incumbent, who doesn’t keenly kowtow to China.
Also in the Asia-Pacific last year, there was an election in New Zealand. Having obtained power through an alliance previously, the Prime Minister won outright this time.
This year, a general election in Japan might be the most significant in the Asia-Pacific.
The election in the US attracted much attention last year, but this year several countries to the south of the US will have presidential elections. Some of these pending elections, in Honduras and Nicaragua, don’t look like being fair, though contests in Ecuador and Peru and Chile might attract more attention.
In Africa, presidential elections last year in both Ghana and Tanzania saw incumbents returned, but opponents complained of rigged votes. This year has already begun with Uganda holding a presidential election, with the incumbent returned and rigged votes alleged. General elections will later occur in two major countries, Ethiopia and Morocco.
In Europe, things seemed uneventful last year. A hung election in Ireland saw centrists align to stop a left-wing party from taking power, and a presidential election in Poland saw a conservative incumbent win narrowly. This year has already begun with Portugal holding a presidential election, won by the incumbent. General elections are due later in the Netherlands and Germany – the latter being significant as this powerful European country will have, for the first time in years, someone different as Chancellor.
These countries show a global election circus continuing year after year. But different players take their turns. The turn for Australia in this circus ring will come soon.
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