The year of voting for the best of the worst

By year-end, countries accounting for more than half of the world’s population will have voted

Humphrey CarterPalma15/04/2024 08:15

It's going to be an interesting year politically and, as a result, economically, with over half of the global population, accounting for over 60% of the world’s economic output, going to the polls. But my big question and worry is - are the voters actually voting for who they want or are they being put in a position of having to opt for the better of two evils?

Take the United States. Are Trump and Biden really the best candidates the Republicans and Democrats can come up with? It does not say much for the so-called greatest super power in the world.

Then we have Britain, where most Conservative MPs, in their heart of hearts, don’t like their leader and Labour, providing they keep their noses clean, do not appear to have to do too much to get their hands on the keys to Number 10, while some of the smaller parties will enjoy a considerable share of the vote. So perhaps it’s time for political reform in the UK and ditch the first-past-the-post system.

In the meantime, there are European elections to look forward to with centre and far-right parties tipped to enjoy important gains. In South Africa, the ruling African National Congress is expected to lose its parliamentary majority for the first time since Nelson Mandela led it to power in 1994, while all eyes will be on India. It could be a very different world we live in come the end of the year.