New York, 1 April 2024 (TDI): A large number of elections taking place this year around the globe will likely be “free from hatred” and regard the will of the people.
In an update to the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, dubbed 2024 as a “mega election year.”
“Every election, even an imperfect one, constitutes an effort to at least formally acknowledge the universal aspiration to democracy,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, reported.
According to some accounts, this may be the first time that over 4 billion people will hold a vote within the same year in presidential, legislative or subnational elections.
2024 is described as the “super election year”, with elections ranging from one-day contests to multi-week ones, from transparent and competitive elections to flawed ones.
Over 2 billion people will head to cast their votes in the US, India, Mexico, and South Africa.
Elections in 2024
The United Nations will hold elections on the 5th of November 2024. Over 160 million Americans are registered to vote. They will be electing the 60th US President, who will serve in the White House for four years, from January 2025.
The incumbent President Joe Biden is hopeful for holding a second term in office, whereas former President Donald Trump, is hoping to secure a second nonconsecutive term.
India will be holding its elections between April and May 2024, which is anticipated to be the world’s largest according to Chatham House, a UK policy institute. Over 900 million people in India are expected to cast their votes, out of a population of 1.4 billion people.
The current Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes to be re-elected for a third five-year term.
On the 2nd of June 2024, Mexicans will be carrying out their elections. The country has approximately 100 million voters and they will be electing a new president to serve for a six-year term.
It is important to note that, for the first time in Mexican history, the two leading presidential candidates are women, elaborates the Wilson Center, a UK think tank. The presidential candidates are Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, former mayor of Mexico City, and former senator Xochitl Galvez.
Moreover, ballot papers across Mexico will also include votes to fill over 20,000 public positions, which is a record for the country.
In the European Union, the 2024 elections for the European Parliament will be carried out between the 6th and 9th June. Over 400 million voters will elect 720 members of the European Parliament throughout the 27 member countries.
These elections would be the world’s biggest transnational elections because the EU election transcends so many boundaries, reports the French news channel France 24.
However, the South African elections in 2024, are considered to be the country’s most significant in 30 years.
The African National Congress (ANC) has been the party leading the country since 1994. This was the period when apartheid was abolished and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first Black president.
However, there is an unpredictability about whether the ANC party can hold its majority, reports Bloomberg. A coalition government in South Africa can take the lead, according to the polling organization Ipsos. However, this is not “guaranteed.”
Over 26 million South Africans are registered to vote, according to the Electoral Commission of South Africa.
Also Read: UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council elections 2024-2026
Aspects and Implications
There are four points to consider when studying the 2024 elections.
Firstly, the 2024 elections worldwide will be crucial for the future development of many major conflicts that are currently carving global matters.
Secondly, elections in 2024 will be essential in analyzing the state of democracy globally. However, it will assess this in traditional democracies themselves.
It is important to pay attention to the strength of elections in consolidated democracies, where the quality of institutions and the confidence of citizens in the system is quickly diminishing.
A third important point to consider in the 2024 elections is the impact of technology on politics. The increasing dependency on technology for the full running of elections is bringing associated risks to a whole new level.
Finally, the result of the elections will provide the basis for the ability of the international community to answer back to the multiple challenges that the world today faces, beyond the spectrum of peace, climate, health, and development.
