“Some global observers of democracy feared 2024 might deliver a shift through the ballot box toward more authoritarianism. However, the reality has been different—at least in cases when elections have been transparent. We have seen surprise generational change in Senegal, a voting populace in India that sought checks and balances and denied the Modi government an outright majority, and a near-complete yet peaceful exchange of power in the United Kingdom. As this super-election year unfolds, I find the question isn't whether there is increasing authoritarianism delivered by the voters, but whether democracy is less in decline and more under attack. There are troubling cases of rejection of people's aspirations for democracy expressed peacefully in voting by those seeking power in places like Pakistan and Venezuela. The highly contested U.S. election on November 5 has global attention as we approach an answer to how we defend and affirm the people's democracy.”

“Recent elections in Latin America are a microcosm of the broader international patterns seen around the world. In Venezuela and El Salvador, autocratic rulers manipulated elections to entrench their authority and marginalize opposition forces, as seen in other countries where democratic “backsliding” has occurred. In Guatemala, however, elections produced a democratic recovery when an opposition movement used the ballot box to defeat incumbent elites seeking to concentrate powers and dismantle democratic checks and balances. The Guatemalan case shows how social mobilization from below and effective coalition building can help to rebuild democracy even when institutions have been gravely weakened by incumbent autocrats. The lesson that other countries can learn is that the best response to those who challenge democracy is usually more democracy—that is, greater participation and representation of democratic citizens within existing institutional channels, however flawed they might appear to be. It is that enhanced participation that holds the promise for democratic renewal.”

“Forty-nine years ago, Mozambique won its independence from a brutal colonial regime. The leaders of the resistance formed a political party, the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), which has held national power ever since—turning Mozambique from a single-party state to an authoritarian one. Elections are held regularly but were meaningless until 1994, when other parties were allowed to participate. Since then, FRELIMO has increasingly resorted to authoritarian tactics to retain power. Municipal-level elections were held in 2023, and the main opposition party, Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO), won a handful of important cities. Demonstrating that it supports the democratic process only if it wins, FRELIMO manipulated the results to produce a ruling party victory and met ensuing street protests with violence. Incredibly, the violence has not kept people from continuing to organize and campaign for opposition candidates in the run-up to national elections on October 9. The outcome of that election probably won’t have a significant impact on the United States election, but there is a parallel between the two countries in the struggle over a civil and legitimate transfer of power. Mozambique and the United States both show how political parties can give lip service to democracy while deploying coercive means to retain control. And they demonstrate the importance of on-the-ground organizing by ordinary people.”

“Western Europe is having a moment—a specifically European electoral moment that will have negligible effect on the outcome of the American presidential election. The 2024 year of elections European-style is trending right but only trending. The right dominated the European Parliamentary elections in June, but political maneuverings allowed for the same parliamentary mix that went into the elections. French national right politician Marine Le Pen came in first in France for those elections. In response, French President Macron dissolved the government and called snap national elections. French citizens, pundits, and all other observers viewed Macron’s action as risky. Indeed, after the snap elections and month of political haggling, Macron may have kept Le Pen out of government, but the election strengthened her political position in France, gave her more seats in parliament, and put her on track to win the presidency in 2027. In fall regional elections in Germany, a mixture of left and right parties dominated. The right-wing AFD won in Germany two weeks ago; the left-wing SPD won in the suburbs outside Berlin this past weekend. Where these parties will matter is after the U.S. presidential election. At that point, their role in their national governments and their positions on Ukraine and Middle East politics will matter in global politics where the United States is a key actor. None of these parties are particularly anti-America, and except for Giorgia Meloni in Italy who is pro-America, none of them are in power yet.”

"Indonesia’s 2024 elections were a landmark event in the world’s largest Muslim democracy and fourth most populous country. Given the number of candidates across multiple races and the sheer size of Indonesia, it is widely acknowledged as the largest single-day election in the world. Although the electoral process was free and fair, controversy surrounded the election nevertheless, especially in the case of the Constitutional Court’s widely criticized ruling on the eligibility of the vice presidential candidate on the winning ticket of Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Indonesia’s successful election, even amidst serious controversy, points to the difficult problem of enforcing the "rules of the game" in democracies in a neutral manner. This is a challenge that Americans will face as well in November. And the victory of Prabowo Subianto—a disgraced former general with a violent past who hails from a wealthy and influential family and earned the support of outgoing president Joao Widodo—as Indonesia’s next president reminds us that even democracies can choose highly divisive and problematic politicians as their leaders."

“The American presidential election presents a choice between a candidate who has threatened basic pillars of democracy—free and fair elections and respect for the outcome of such elections, the rule of law, and the legitimacy of the political opposition—versus a candidate who, like other candidates of either party reaching back for decades, upholds those pillars. This fraught choice confronts a nation that has become deeply polarized. It is reminiscent of other periods in U.S. history when democracy—in whatever form had developed at that time—was in the balance.”

“On the African continent, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, Ghana, Mauritania, Mali, Mauritius,  Mozambique, Namibia , Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and South Sudan have held or are holding elections in 2024. Elections are a defining characteristic of democracy. Free and fair elections play a vital role in conferring legitimacy on the political order. With improved communications and better administrative capacity, the conduct of elections has improved. However, new challenges have emerged: widespread use of social media has led to its misuse to spread fake news that seeks to undermine and manipulate elections. The influence of money in electoral processes has increased inequality in participation. It must also be recognized that although elections are a necessity, they are insufficient for the consolidation of democracy. This is especially so in developing countries where the consolidation of democracy depends on the development of systems of governance that give people a sense of ownership of the political process. This requires long-term efforts and a large investment in the development of institutions that promote and support inclusive growth.”

“The presidential election in Sri Lanka on September 21 was the country's most peaceful election in decades. Coming two years after a mass uprising that ousted the president—but not the parliament—the election brought an outsider, anti-corruption, Leftist party to power for the first time. Whether they will be able to enact all or even some of the changes they have proposed remains to be seen, but this election shows that democracy can still work, bringing people hope for the future.”

“During 2024 national elections took place in Latin America in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Uruguay, and Venezuela. While most were free and fair, some continue to have an uneven playing field for the opposition, as in El Salvador—or outright fraud, as in Venezuela. Mexico's election stands out because the country elected a woman, Claudia Sheinbaum, to the presidency for the first time. It was also a landslide election that resulted in the incumbent party, MORENA, winning comfortable majorities in congress, which put major constitutional reforms within easy reach. El Salvador's election is also noteworthy because of the landslide reelection of Nayib Bukele with 84% of the vote, although changes to electoral rules made it harder for the opposition to compete fairly. Both countries are important cases in which democratically elected governments have leveraged broad popular mandates to undermine civil liberties in the name of public safety.”

“Senegal’s dramatic 2024 presidential contest is a hallmark of the struggle between executive attempts to consolidate power and limit constraints and the potential of the judiciary and citizens to support or thwart the president’s will. Senegal’s fiercely democratic citizens once again demonstrated their commitment to accountability and turnover, electing opposition candidate Bassirou Faye as president. The election process highlights that citizen protest, electoral participation, and coordination around supporting democracy—above and beyond other partisan or representative identity considerations—is crucial to bolstering institutional capacity and endurance. The election also demonstrates a demand for outsider candidates who promise a rupture with approaches of the past. In Senegal, this outsider narrative was powerfully combined with a promise to provide accountable and transparent governance, credibly represented by a “whistleblower” bureaucratic candidate. The take-home message: Democracy is alive in Senegal because of citizens' demand for compliance with the rules of the electoral game and their insistence on the legitimacy of the procedures, strategic coordination around the opposition candidate, and unbowed expectation for representative governance to deliver to the people.”