A record-breaking number of people voted across the globe in 2024 with consequences not just for their own countries, but for the rest of the world too.
The first vote of the year:
• Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina won the country’s general election for the fourth time in a row – but her new term was short-lived.
Student-led protests spiralled into deadly clashes between demonstrators and security forces, killing about 1,500 people, according to the country’s interim leader.
Sheikh Hasina fled to India, triggering an intense power struggle in Bangladesh.
The ones with surprising results:
• France
Marine Le Pen after first round results of the 2024 snap vote. Pic: Reuters
Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party was set to emerge victorious at the French parliamentary elections.
But it ended up stumbling home in third in the second round of voting.
• Mexico
Claudia Sheinbaum greets supporters in Mexico City. Pic: AP
Claudia Sheinbaum was voted in as Mexico’s first female president in June, winning with the highest vote percentage of anyone in the country’s democratic history.
• Iran
Masoud Pezeshkian is greeted by his supporters at a polling station. Pic: AP
In Iran, the ballot is tightly controlled by an assembly of clerics and jurists and it’s all under the watchful eye of the supreme leader.
The country was forced to hold a presidential election in 2024 after Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash.
The winner was the relatively moderate Masoud Pezeshkian, labelled the first reformist Iranian president in 20 years.
The one that was annulled:
• Romania
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‘Romania’s top court is a mafia court’
Romania’s top court annulled the results of the first round of its presidential election.
Declassified intelligence documents alleged Russia was behind a campaign to promote a far-right candidate on platforms such as TikTok and Telegram.
Calin Georgescu, who told Sky News he has no links to Russia, was an outsider but emerged as the frontrunner after the first round of voting.
The one with the longest vote count:
• India
Pic: AP
India’s voting went on for six weeks and was split into seven different phases.
A record-breaking 642 million people cast their ballots, according to India’s Election Commission.
Narendra Modi’s coalition went on to win a parliamentary majority.
The ones that ended eras:
• UK
Prankster Niko Omilana holds an ‘L’ behind Rishi Sunak after the UK election. Pic: PA
July saw the UK firmly turn its back on the Conservative Party after 14 years.
• South Africa
African National Congress supporters cheer at a rally. Pic: AP
The African National Congress party (ANC), which had been in power in South Africa since the end of apartheid, lost its majority for the first time in its 30 years of rule.
• Botswana
The Botswana Democratic Party, which had been in power since 1966, was rejected by voters.
This is the first time Botswana will be governed by another party in its democratic history.
The ones that raised questions:
• Russia
Vladimir Putin embarked on another six-year presidential term in 2024. Pic: AP
Vladimir Putin predictably won the Russian election in March in which opposition was said to be suppressed.
• Syria
Bashar al Assad’s party also claimed victory, just months before rebel forces toppled his regime.
• Venezuela
Protests against the re-election of President Nicolas Maduro. Pic: AP
In Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro claimed a third term in office, despite several exit polls saying he’d lost.
Thousands protested the result and a former opposition candidate fled to Spain to seek asylum.
The one you won’t have missed:
• United States
President-elect Donald Trump pictured in the days before the election. Pic: Reuters
At the start of 2024, the world was certain the US election would be a Biden-Trump rerun.
But vice president Kamala Harris found herself on the Democrats’ ticket just months before the vote.
What promised to be a tight race ended in a decisive win for Donald Trump.
He’s only the second president to win non-consecutive terms in office.
The ones you might have missed:
• Somaliland
A woman kisses the Somaliland flag as she waits to cast her vote. Pic: AP
The self-declared republic of Somaliland held a presidential election.
It’s never been recognised as a country by the rest of the world and its politicians want that to change.
• The Solomon Islands
A man casts his vote during the Solomon Islands elections. Pic: AP
The new prime minister of the Solomon Islands has promised to continue its pro-China policy, drawing the nation closer to Beijing.
• Jordan
Jordan’s parliamentary election happened as conflict escalated in the Middle East.
The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, tripled its representation in parliament.
The ones the world was watching:
• Taiwan
The Democratic Progressive Party won the election in Taiwan. Pic: AP
Soaring tensions between China and Taiwan dominated politics in the run-up to the island’s election.
China sees the self-governing island as a breakaway province that should be “reunified” with the mainland.
But the Democratic Progressive Party made history by winning a third term and it has done so while campaigning on a platform of standing up to its superpower neighbour.
• Georgia
Protesters gather to demand new parliamentary elections in Georgia. Pic: AP
Both Georgia and Moldova’s votes were dominated by claims of Russian interference.
The Georgian Dream party claimed victory and mass protests broke out.
Violence erupted again after the ruling party decided to freeze talks to join the EU until 2028.
The one on hold:
• South Sudan
South Sudan has never held a national election. Pic: AP
South Sudan is the youngest nation in the world. It’s been mired in conflict for much of its existence and it has never had an election.
The government says it is not ready for them, saying there are security concerns and logistical challenges.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
The state of democracy
One in three voters live in countries where the quality of elections is worse than it was five years ago, according to the Global State of Democracy Report 2024.
“We see turnout dropping also around the world, while protests and riots around elections increase,” says Dr Seema Shah, the head of International IDEA’s Democracy Assessment Unit, which produces the report.
So is there any cause for hope?
“The main positive takeaway is that people around the world still really care about democracy as a theory but also the way democracy is practiced in their countries and they’re willing to stand up and fight for it,” says Dr Shah.
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