In February and April, Costa Ricans elected centrist Rodrigo Chaves Robles as their next president. The two-round vote largely fell under the radar—for good reason. Costa Rica's elections are famously
well-run and uncontroversial, rendering the country an outlier in the Western Hemisphere.
Less quiet was the March vote in South Korea, which saw conservative Yoon Seok-youl defeat liberal Lee Jae-myung on a platform that wedded
anti-feminism and economic angst with
hawkishness toward North Korea. But as steeped as Yoon's campaign was in culture wars, the new president has taken office at a pivotal foreign-policy moment for his country. Many Koreans are frustrated with the outgoing government's
wishy-washy stance on the war in Ukraine, giving Yoon the opportunity to redefine Seoul's values on the global stage.
April was a critical month for European populists. Incumbent Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party scored an easy victory, launching the far-right firebrand into a fourth consecutive term. Although he is still strong at home, Orban's close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin have left him
increasingly isolated on the European stage—especially after Orban's French ally Marine Le Pen failed to defeat centrist incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in an intense runoff vote.
The far-right Le Pen had attempted to moderate her image and came closer to the presidency than ever before. While her loss means Macron—and much of the Western liberal establishment—can breathe easy for now, the French president is keenly aware that his victory was less a reflection of his own popularity than a rebuke of Le Pen. Macron's next test will be France's June legislative elections, which will decide whether he will be able to swiftly carry out his agenda or be forced to make compromises with competing parties—something he is not known to be good at.
This month, voters in the Philippines resoundingly elected Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the son of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos, as their next president. The younger Marcos skillfully employed social media to rehabilitate his
family's reputation and will govern with the daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte as his vice president. Although Marcos Jr. in many ways echoes Duterte's controversial populism on domestic issues, he promises to be
closer to Washington in his foreign policy.
Later this month, Colombia could elect its first-ever leftist president. Ex-guerrilla and former mayor of Bogotá Gustavo Petro is polling well despite a
critical endorsement going to his right-wing rival, Federico Gutiérrez. Petro's election could also usher in another milestone: Colombia's first Black vice president. The explosive popularity of his running mate, Francia Márquez, can be credited to highly organized
intersectional feminist activism that has intensified over the years and saw a major victory in February with Colombia's decriminalization of abortion.
After a brief summer hiatus, veteran Kenyan presidential contender Raila Odinga in August will attempt to claim the seat he has coveted for decades against Deputy President William Ruto. In a twist, outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta has endorsed Odinga, his former foe, over Ruto. The 2017 contest between Odinga and Kenyatta sparked an
electoral legitimacy crisis that has many Kenyans doubtful that this year's vote will be free and fair.
Sweden's elections this September may have once looked to be a subdued affair. But in recent weeks, the country—once
stalwartly nonaligned—has moved closer than ever before to NATO membership due to Russia's war in Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson's Social Democrats have long defined Sweden's opposition to joining the alliance, and the vote is set to be a barometer of the public's mood toward their possible policy 180.
If there's one upcoming election date FP readers should pencil into their calendars, it is Oct. 2. That day, both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Brazil will hold contests that could make or break their respective democratic institutions. The situation is more precarious in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose tenuous tripartite presidential system negotiated under the Dayton Accords threatens to shatter under the
nationalist pressures of Serb President Milorad Dodik.
But Brazil's democracy should by no means be taken for granted: Facing probable defeat at the hands of former leftist President Lula Inácio Lula da Silva, far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro is appropriating Trumpian claims of
voter fraud regarding Brazil's electronic voting system and even laying the groundwork for a possible
Jan. 6-style insurrection.
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