With all the attention on the 2024 U.S. presidential election, it’s easy to overlook other high-profile elections around the globe. In countries like Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela, concerns such as rising inflation and immigration are also significant. WeVote offers a look at some of the major global elections that drew attention this summer and into the fall. 

India: June 1st

India’s general elections concluded after almost two months of voting. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), faced competition from many coalitions and parties. This included the Indian National Congress (INC) and its allies, which once had a stronghold on the country’s leadership for about half a century (Rajvanshi, 2024 What to Know About India’s 2024 Election | TIME). Voting was spread apart over seven stages and lasted six weeks. 

Key election issues included the COVID-19 pandemic, high unemployment and inflation rates, and treatment of minority groups. 

The election results revealed that the BJP won the majority of seats in parliament. Still, they were fewer than in previous elections. The victory made Modi the second prime minister in history to serve three consecutive terms (Bloch et al., 2024 India Live Election Results and Map 2024 I The New York Times). 

Mexico: June 2nd

Mexico also held its presidential election this past summer. Several contenders competed to serve as president for the next six years. Candidates included Claudia Sheinbaum of the populist left-wing Morena party, opposition leader Xóchitl Gálvez of the Strength and Heart for Mexico coalition, and the Citizen Movement’s Jorge Álvarez Máynez (Janetsky, 2024 Mexican Election 2024: Date, candidates, key issues | AP News).  

Key election issues centered on controversial electoral reforms by Lopez Obrador. Other concerns included cartels, drug trafficking, rising inflation, trade, and U.S.-Mexico relations. In a historic outcome, Sheinbaum was elected as the country’s first female president. (Magramo et al., 2024 Claudia Sheinbaum elected Mexico’s first female president | CNN).

Mexico also held elections for seats in its Senate and Congress, as well as local government positions. 

Iran: June 28th

Iran held a presidential election after former President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May. Six presidential candidates were approved by the Guardian Council. These candidates included hardliners Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Alireza Zakani, and reformist-moderate Masoud Pezeshkian (Boroujerdi, 2024 Everything you need to know about the six candidates in Iran’s presidential election I Atlantic Council).

Key election issues included the government response to the Women, Life, Freedom protests. These protests were sparked after Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini died while in police custody in 2022. Other concerns centered on dissatisfaction with the current authorities, sanctions, and negative relations with the west. In addition, tensions between the establishment and the revolutionary guards and increased surveillance of Iranian people were at the forefront. In a surprising victory, reformist candidate Pezeshkian emerged as the next president. He is expected to further social and civic freedoms. This is a change from the established hardline conservatism of the past regimes (Zeidan, 2024 Iran’s 2024 presidential election | Masoud Pezeshkian, Candidates, Raisi Death, & Results | Britannica). 

United Kingdom: July 4th

Meanwhile, in the UK general election, the Conservative government, led by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, sought to maintain its majority of seats while facing off with the left-leaning Labour Party headed by Keir Starmer. Key issues in this election included the economy, high cost of living, rising inflation, and immigration (Bintliff & Castle, 2024 UK Election 2024: What to Know As Voters Head to the Polls I The New York Times). 

The Labour Party promised a series of reforms. These reforms included encouraging investment in industry, introducing a windfall tax on energy companies, increasing the pay of teachers, and removing the tax-exempt status of private schools (David, 2024 Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed I BBC). The Conservative Party campaigned on several policy proposals. This proposals included reducing tax rates for the self-employed, imposing harsher sentences for knife crime, sending asylum seekers to Rwanda by flight, and increasing defense spending (Peachey, 2024 Conservative manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed I BBC). 

Ultimately, the Labour Party won a majority of seats. Its leader Keir Starmer became the new prime minister, the first Labour Prime Minister since Tony Blair’s reign from 1997 to 2007 (Associated Press, 2024 2024 UK parliamentary election: Highlights and key moments | AP News).

France: July 6th

Following the UK election, France held its parliamentary elections two days later. Major contenders included the left-leaning New Popular Front, the centrist alliance led by President Emmanuel Macron, and the far-right National Rally led by Marine Le Pen (Homel, Nix, & Messieh, 2024 French Election Dashboard: Everything you need to know about the presidential race I Atlantic Council). 

Key issues in this election included immigration, defense, and the energy sector. The New Popular Front secured 188 seats in the National Assembly, the highest number for any party coalition. The far-right National Rally won 142 seats, the most for any individual party (Cokelaere & Goury-Laffont, 2024 France election results 2024: Who won across the country I POLITICO). 

However, since no party got the 289 seats needed for an overall majority in the 577-seat assembly, the result was a hung parliament. This left voters with either a minority or a coalition government. This outcome means that the parties will have to work together to reach a majority of votes needed to create policies and pass laws (Aurelien et al., 2024 How the French Election Results Unfolded I The New York Times).

Venezuela: July 28th 

Nicolas Maduro, president of Venezuela since 2013, faced off against Independent candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia this summer. Maduro held office for two consecutive terms. He was seeking reelection for a third while aiming to continue the socialist-influenced Chavismo movement of the past 25 years. Maduro’s policies were similar to those of his predecessor Hugo Chavez. He championed once successful anti-poverty programs (Shortell, 2024 What to expect in Venezuela’s presidential election as strongman Maduro faces his biggest test yet | CNN).

Gonzalez, a member of the Democratic Unitary Platform coalition, had outlined several plans for addressing long-standing issues. These plans included curbing soaring inflation and gaining governmental trust back by reducing the current administration’s power over Venezuelan institutions. Gonzalez’s bid for the presidency emerged shortly after a government ban on popular opposition leader Maria Corina Machado from running for the position (Glatsky, 2024 Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Election: What to Know I The New York Times). 

Maduro was declared victorious by the National Electoral Council. However, the election results were highly contested due to the lack of complete voting data released by Venezuelan authorities (Garcia Cano, Goodman & Salomon Venezuela election: Biden, Lula urge authorities to release detailed voting data | AP News). The opposition said it has evidence that Gonzalez was the legitimate winner, leaving the results of the election uncertain. 

Austria: September 29th

As its current parliament’s five-year term came to an end, Austria held its September general election. Many key issues were at a forefront, such as immigration, the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and rising inflation. Preliminary election results showed the far-right Freedom Party secured the highest share of votes (28.8 percent). This result is ahead of Chancellor Karl Nehammer’s Austrian People’s Party (26.3 percent). However, it was still short of a majority. In order to secure a majority in parliament and form a government, a coalition government will need to be formed among various parties (Belamy, 2024 Exit polls indicate Austria’s far-right party has won national election I Euronews).

A Final Look: Summer Votes Create Significant Changes

This summer saw a variety of elections around the globe. This resulted in power shifts and the arrival of new governments. While countries such as India and France maintained their leadership, minority parties gained more representation. New leaders emerged in Mexico, the UK, and Iran, while in Venezuela and Austria, potential political changes are on the horizon. Exploring these elections offers valuable insight into the future of voting and democracy worldwide. 

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