Make Me Aware has noted some key election moments in 2021 (Source: Council of Foreign Relations – CFR )
Austria – Sebastian Kurz resigned as Chancellor in October 21 after a corruption scandal. Alexander Schallenberg, a Kurz ally, replaced him. Kurz is still head of their People’s Party. Austria has a coalition government – the first in Europe to combine a centre right and an environmentalist party. One of the EU’s ‘Frugal 4’, along with Denmark, Netherlands and Sweden. Resists calls from Southern European states for more common debt of the kind issued during Covid. Opposes EU calls to relax immigration, even though immigrants benefit the ageing work force.
Ecuador – chose pro-business candidate Guillermo Lasso, breaking sharply with the leftist policies of the outgoing administration.
Ecuador, 24 de Mayo del 2021, Cambio de Mando Presidencial, toma de juramento y posesión como Presidente Constitucional de la República del Ecuador al señor Guillermo Lasso Mendoza a cargo de la señora Guadalupe Llori, Presidenta de la Asamblea Nacional. Fotos Equipo de Fotografía / Asamblea Nacional
Iran – Low turnout. Winner was as expected, the more hard-line Ebrahim Raisi.
Zambia – Hakainde Hichilema chosen as President. This the 3rd time since 1964 that Zambia experienced a peaceful transition of power.
Germany – Olaf Scholz SPD. Will head a coalition with Greens and FDP.
Nicaragua – Daniel Ortega claimed victory as President. Said to be a rigged election.
Israel – 4th in 2 years. Naftali Bennett succeeded Netanyahu as Prime Minister.
Canada – snap election. Justin Trudeau stayed on as Prime Minister.
Japan – snap election. Fumio Kashida won.
Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela – creeping authoritarianism.
El Salvador – 21, Nayib Bukele, a young populist, became the latest elected leader to erect an autocracy: has taken control of judiciary, harassed independent journalists and authorised his own re-election for a second term. Opinion polls continue to show a ‘steady and worrying erosion of support for democracy in Latin America’. (Economist 22).
Sources and further reading:
Elections and Voting
https://www.cfr.org/politics-and-government/elections-and-voting
Elections
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