=========================================================================== COMPARATIVE STUDY OF ELECTORAL SYSTEMS (CSES) - MODULE 5 (2016-2021) CODEBOOK PART 5: ELECTION SUMMARIES FULL RELEASE - JULY 25, 2023 CSES Secretariat www.cses.org =========================================================================== HOW TO CITE THE STUDY: The Comparative Study of Electoral Systems (www.cses.org). CSES MODULE 5 FULL RELEASE [dataset and documentation]. July 25, 2023 version. doi:10.7804/cses.module5.2023-07-25. These materials are based on work supported by the American National Science Foundation (www.nsf.gov) under grant numbers SES-1420973 and SES-1760058, the GESIS - Leibniz Institute for the Social Sciences, the University of Michigan, in-kind support of participating election studies, the many organizations that sponsor planning meetings and conferences, and the numerous organizations that fund national election studies by CSES Collaborators. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the funding organizations. =========================================================================== NOTE TO USERS: We recommend that researchers become familiar with the CSES design, units of analysis, documentation, and dataset weights before beginning their investigations. For instance, while the set of respondents appearing within each election study represents their respective nations, the group of nations that appear within CSES is not a random sample of countries worldwide. Furthermore, while many election studies include 1,000 or so respondents, other election studies may consist of over 10,000 respondents. Some nations will have studies of more than one election in a CSES module, and occasionally there will be two independent studies of a single election. Last, some election studies include oversamples of specific subpopulations or would otherwise benefit from use of the included weight variables. We hope you find our website and documentation useful as you proceed with your work, and welcome any questions or suggestions you have. =========================================================================== TABLE OF CONTENTS =========================================================================== ))) OVERVIEW OF "CODEBOOK PART 5: ELECTION SUMMARIES" ))) HOW TO NAVIGATE THE CSES MODULE 5 CODEBOOK ))) ELECTION SUMMARIES FOR STUDIES INCLUDED IN CSES MODULE 5 BY POLITY & ELECTION YEAR >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ALBANIA (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - AUSTRALIA (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - AUSTRIA (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BELGIUM-FLANDERS (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BELGIUM-WALLONIA (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BRAZIL (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CANADA (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CHILE (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - COSTA RICA (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CZECHIA (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CZECHIA (2021) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - DENMARK (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - EL SALVADOR (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - FINLAND (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - FRANCE (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GERMANY (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GERMANY (2021) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREAT BRITAIN (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREAT BRITAIN (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREECE (2015) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREECE (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - HONG KONG (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - HUNGARY (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ICELAND (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ICELAND (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - INDIA (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - IRELAND (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ISRAEL (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ITALY (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - JAPAN (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LATVIA (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LITHUANIA (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LITHUANIA (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - MEXICO (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - MONTENEGRO (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NETHERLANDS (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NETHERLANDS (2021) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NEW ZEALAND (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NEW ZEALAND (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NORWAY (2017) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - PERU (2021) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - POLAND (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - PORTUGAL (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ROMANIA (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SLOVAKIA (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SOUTH KOREA (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SWEDEN (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SWITZERLAND (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TAIWAN (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TAIWAN (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - THAILAND (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TUNISIA (2019) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TURKEY (2018) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - UNITED STATES (2016) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - UNITED STATES (2020) >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - URUGUAY (2019) =========================================================================== ))) OVERVIEW OF "CODEBOOK PART 5: ELECTION SUMMARIES" =========================================================================== Part 5 of the CSES Codebook presents users with a summary compiled by the CSES Secretariat of each polity's election. The overviews provide details of the type(s) of elections, the dates, the parties/candidates that won or lost and any additional relevant campaign information. We also provide sources for further information on the election in question in English, sources which helped inform us in devising the summaries, and which users are encouraged to check for more detailed information on the elections. Election Summaries are listed in alphabetical order of the polity. =========================================================================== ))) HOW TO NAVIGATE THE CSES MODULE 5 CODEBOOK =========================================================================== In the CSES MODULE 5 dataset, all variables begin with the letter "E" (E being the fifth letter of the English alphabet and thus signifying MODULE 5). The CSES Codebook is especially extensive, and users are advised that the best way to navigate it is electronically. It is a .txt format which allows it to be accessed via a variety of programs. The CSES Codebook can be navigated quickly in the electronic files, with the following commands allowing for quick searching: ))) = Section Header. >>> = Sub-section Header 1. <<>> = Sub-section Header 2. +++ = Tables. CSES QUESTION CLASSIFICATION = For survey level variables only, CSES Question Classification details whether the variable is part of the CSES Core component, which are questions asked repeatedly in CSES Modules, whether a variable is part of the CSES Module Theme component, which are questions specific to the Module Theme under exploration and might not be included in CSES repeatedly, or whether a variable is a Derivative Variable, which is explained below. VARIABLE NOTES = Notes for particular variables. ELECTION STUDY NOTES = Notes for a particular election study. DERIVATIVE VARIABLE = Highlights a variable derived from another variable or variables within the CSES. POTENTIAL POLITY LEVEL BRIDGING IDENTIFIER = Highlights a variable that may be used for data bridging at polity level. POTENTIAL REGIONAL LEVEL BRIDGING IDENTIFIER = Highlights a variable that may be used for data bridging at regional level. POTENTIAL TIME BRIDGING IDENTIFIER = Highlights a variable that may be used for data bridging by time. POTENTIAL PARTY/COALITION LEVEL BRIDGING IDENTIFIER = Highlights a variable that may be used for data bridging at party/coalition level. POTENTIAL CSES PRODUCT BRIDGING IDENTIFIER = Highlights a variable that may be used for data bridging with other CSES products. For further details on the CSES MODULE 5 documentation, users are advised to consult Part 1 of the CSES Codebook. =========================================================================== ))) ELECTION SUMMARIES FOR STUDIES INCLUDED IN CSES MODULE 5 BY POLITY & ELECTION YEAR =========================================================================== --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ALBANIA (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Albanian Parliamentary elections were held on Sunday, June 25, 2017. Albanian voters elected all 140 members of the Albanian Parliament (Kuvendi). The turnout was 46.8%, a drop of 6.7-points on the last elections in 2013, the lowest turnout since multiparty elections in 1991. Elections were initially scheduled for June 18. However, opposition parties protested for three months (February-May 2017) over poverty, corruption, fear of electoral fraud in the parliamentary elections, and the government's alleged manipulation of the voting process. As part of the protests, these parties announced they would boycott the June 18 poll. After three months of a standoff, all parties reached an agreement, with all to contest, and the election postponed by one week, and set for June 25. The Albanian Socialist Party (PS), the incumbent government, won the elections, winning 74 out of 140 seats in Parliament and increasing their vote share by 8-points (48.3%). They gained nine seats on their 2013 performance achieving their best electoral outing since 1997. Party leader and outgoing Prime Minister Edi Rama formed the new government, his second term of office. The main opposition party, the Democratic Party of Albania (PD) scored its second worst result ever, winning only 28.9% of the vote, and losing seven seats, its lowest level of representation since its landslide defeat in 1997. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ALBANIA (2017) Kera, G., and Hysa, A. 2020. "Influencing votes, winning elections: clientelist practices and private funding of electoral campaigns in Albania." Southeast European and Black Sea Studies 20 (1): 123-139. DOI: 10.1080/14683857.2019.1709698. Krasniqi, A. 2019. "Albania." in Thirty Years of Political Campaigning in Central and Eastern Europe, edited by O. Eibl, and M. Gregor, 179-197. Palgrave Macmillan. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - AUSTRALIA (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Australian Federal election was held on Saturday, May 18, 2019. In the House of Representatives (lower house), 151 seats were contested, an increase of one on the 2016 elections, while the Senate (upper house) elections saw 40 of the 76 seats up for grabs. In Australia, there is compulsory voting, and the turnout among registered voters was 91.9%. In the lower house elections, the Liberal/National Coalition (L/NP), led by Scott Morrisson, who had assumed the Prime Ministership after Malcolm Turnbull was deposed as Liberal leader in August 2018, defied the opinion polls in the lead up to the contest to win a third successive term for the Coalition. It won 77 seats, an increase of one seat compared to its 2016 performance, and formed a majority government. The opposition Labor Party (ALP), led by Bill Shorten, trailed on 68 seats with Shorten resigning the leadership on election night, to be later replaced by Anthony Albanese. Meanwhile, in the Senate elections, the Liberal-National Coalition gained five seats, primarily at the expense of smaller parties. The Coalition controls now 35 seats in the Upper House, just short of a majority. The Greens and the smaller parties maintain the balance of power. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - AUSTRALIA (2019) Birrell, B. 2019. "The 2019 election and the impending migrant parent deluge." The Australian Population Research Institute. https://tapri.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/final-draft-parent-visa- May-2019.pdf (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). McDougall, D. 2019. "ScoMo's Miracle: The Australian Federal Election of 18 May 2019." The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs 108(5): 493-506. DOI: 10.1080/00358533.2019.1657717. Muller, D. 2019. "The 2019 federal election." In Parliamentary Library Briefing Book: Key issues for the 46th Parliament, Parliament of Australia, 234-237. https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/library/prspub/ 6801783/upload_binary/6801783.pdf (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - AUSTRIA (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Austrian Federal lower house election took place on Sunday, October 15, 2017. The turnout rate among eligible voters was 80.0%. The election took place early after rising tensions between the incumbent coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPO) and the Christian Democrats (OVP). In May 2017, the OVP leader and Austrian Vice-Chancellor, Reinhold Mitterlehner resigned after internal party disagreements. Foreign Minister, the youthful Sebastian Kurz, became the leader of the OVP and called for snap elections, thus dissolving the Grand Coalition between the SPO and OVP, in power since 2006. In the elections, Kurz's OVP, running under the name "List Sebastian Kurz, the New People's Party" secured 31.5% of the votes, an increase of 7.5-points compared to the previous election in 2013. The OVP became the largest party in parliament for the first time since 2002, surpassing its coalition partner, the SPO, who held their own in the election, winning 52 seats and 26.9% of the vote. In third place, the Freedom Party (FPO) made gains, winning 11 additional seats. The Green Party (Gruene) failed to surpass the 4 percent threshold, and, for the first time in 21 years, did not secure a seat in parliament, losing 24 seats compared with their 2013 performance. Two other parties, the New Austria (NEOS) and the newly formed Peter Pilz List (PILZ), gained seats. After the election, negotiations between the OVP and FPO led to the first OVP-FPO government since 2005, ending eleven years of Grand Coalitions led by the SPO. Sebastian Kurz of the OVP became Chancellor in December 2017. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - AUSTRIA (2017) Bodlos, A., and C. Plescia. 2018. "The 2017 Austrian snap election: a shift rightward." West European Politics 41(6): 1354-1363. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2018.1429057. Federal Ministry of the Interior (Bundesministerium fuer Inneres - BM.I). https://wahl17.bmi.gv.at/. (Date accessed: March 1, 2019). Parline database on national parliaments. n.d. "Austria, Nationalrat (National Council)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline/reports/2017_E.htm. (Date accessed: January 11, 2019). Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes. 2017. "Federal law on national council elections (Last update: April 19, 2017)." https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Erv/ERV_1992_471/ERV_1992_471.pdf. (Date accessed: February 27, 2018). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BELGIUM-FLANDERS (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Federal elections in Belgium were held on Sunday, May 26, 2019. On the same day, European Parliament and regional elections were also held. In the Federal elections, Belgium voters elected all 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives from eleven multi-member constituencies. Out of the total number, 87 representatives are elected in Belgium-Flanders (not including the Brussels district). Based on the electoral register, turnout was 89.7% of registered voters in Belgium-Flanders (overall, the turnout rate in the whole of Belgium was 88.38%). Belgium has compulsory voting, meaning that all Belgium citizens aged 18 and over are obliged to participate in the election. The 2019 Federal elections in Belgium saw a decline in the support of ruling parties, with both CD&V and Open Vld losing votes. The New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), a party campaigning on Flemish separatism and nationalism, won the most votes in Flanders (25.5% of the vote share), although their support was down on their 2014 performance. The 2019 elections saw a resurgence of the Vlaams Belang (VB) in Flanders, a far-right party, which nearly equaled its previous best performance in 2007, scoring 18.7% of the Flanders vote (11.9% of the Belgian vote overall). Months of coalition negotiations followed with Sophie Wilmes, a member of the Reformist Movement (Belgium-Wallonia) leading a caretaker minority coalition in the interim, in the process becoming Belgium's first female Prime Minister. In October 2020, a new coalition consisting of 7 parties: Open Vld, SPA, CD&V, and Groen from Belgium-Flanders and the PS, MR, and Ecolo from Belgium-Wallonia was formed with Alexander De Croo, former finance minister and member of the Open-VLD, as the new Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - BELGIUM-FLANDERS (2019) Gaasendam, C. R., K. Abts, M. Swyngedouw, and B. Meuleman. 2021. "Lost connection? The attitudinal and ideological (in)congruence of social democracy's elites, members and voters in Flanders-Belgium." Acta Politica 56(3): 395-415. DOI: 10.1057/s41269-020-00156-6. Pilet, J.-B. 2021. "Hard times for governing parties: the 2019 federal elections in Belgium." West European Politics 44(2): 439-449. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2020.1750834. Thijssen, P., M. Reuchamps, L. De Winter, J. Dodeigne, and D. Sinardet. 2021. "Inter-regional contacts and voting behaviour in Belgium: What can we learn from the 2019 elections?" Regional & Federal Studies 31(3): 359-380. DOI: 10.1080/13597566.2021.1919096. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BELGIUM-WALLONIA (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Federal elections in Belgium were held on Sunday, May 26, 2019. On the same day, European Parliament and regional elections were also held in Belgium. In the Federal elections, Belgium voters elected all 150 members of the Chamber of Representatives from eleven multi-member constituencies. Out of the total number, 48 representatives are elected in Belgium-Wallonia. Based on the electoral register, turnout was 86.4% of registered voters in Belgium-Wallonia (overall, the turnout rate in the whole of Belgium was 88.4%). Belgium has compulsory voting, meaning that all Belgium citizens aged 18 and over are obliged to participate in the election. The 2019 Federal elections in Belgium saw a decline in the support of ruling parties, with the incumbent Reformist Movement (MR), who contest primarily in Wallonia, losing six seats and coming second in the popular vote in Belgium-Wallonia. The Parti Socialist (PS) topped the poll, winning 26.1% of the Wallonia vote (9.5% of the Belgian vote overall). The Workers' Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) and the Green Ecolo party made the most significant gains in the election in Wallonia, with Ecolo coming third, an increase of seven seats on the 2014 performance. Months of coalition negotiations followed with Sophie Wilmes, a member of the Reform Movement (Belgium-Wallonia) leading a caretaker minority coalition in the interim, in the process becoming Belgium's first female Prime Minister. In October 2020, a new coalition consisting of 7 parties: Open Vld, SPA, CD&V and Groen from Belgium-Flanders and the PS, MR, and Ecolo from Belgium-Wallonia was formed with Alexander De Croo, former Finance Minister and member of the Open-VLD, as the new Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - BELGIUM-WALLONIA (2019) de Jonge, L. 2021. "The Curious Case of Belgium: Why is There no Right-Wing Populism in Wallonia?" Government and Opposition 56(4): 598-614. DOI: 10.1017/gov.2020.8. Pilet, J.-B. 2021. "Hard times for governing parties: the 2019 federal elections in Belgium." West European Politics 44(2): 439-449. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2020.1750834. Thijssen, P., M. Reuchamps, L. De Winter, J. Dodeigne, and D. Sinardet. 2021. "Inter-regional contacts and voting behaviour in Belgium: What can we learn from the 2019 elections?" Regional & Federal Studies 31(3): 359-380. DOI: 10.1080/13597566.2021.1919096. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - BRAZIL (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Brazilian general elections were held on Sunday, October 7, 2018 (first round) with a second round of Presidential elections on Sunday, October 28, 2018. Voters in Brazil elected the President, the Vice President and the National Congress (lower and upper houses). Elections for state governors and vice governors, state legislative assemblies and the Legislative Chamber of the Federal District were also held at the same time. Voting is compulsory for eligible citizens aged 18-70. The turnout in the Presidential elections in round 1 was 79.8% and in round 2 was 78.7%. The elections took place after the successful impeachment of the Workers' Party (PT) Dilma Rousseff as President in 2015 on charges of breaking budgetary laws. Rousseff had been re-elected for a second term in 2014. Vice President Michel Temer of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (MDB) succeeded her, although he was prohibited from contesting in 2018 due to his conviction for campaign violation laws, banning him from holding any other public office for eight years. Meanwhile, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Workers' Party (PT), who served as Brazilian President between 2003-11, announced he would contest the 2018 Presidential contest. However, he was imprisoned due to a corruption scandal and the Brazilian Superior Electoral Court denied his candidacy on August 31, 2018. In a controversial and charged political environment, Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party (PSL) emerged as the winner and new President, with 55.1% of valid votes in the second round, beating Fernando Haddad of Workers' Party (PT). Bolsanaro was a controversial candidate, and during the campaign was criticized for what some deemed inappropriate remarks. He was stabbed during the campaign at a rally in Minas Gerais, an attack which was widely condemned. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - BRAZIL (2018) Power, T. J., and R. Rodrigues-Silveira. 2019. "Mapping Ideological Preferences in Brazilian Elections, 1994-2018: A Municipal-Level Study." Brazilian Political Science Review 13 (1): 1-27. DOI: 10.1590/1981-3821201900010001. Dias, M., and A. Teles. 2018. "Vote in Brazil and General elections 2018: Are the pillars of democracy in danger?" Global Journal of Politics and Law Research 6 (6): 1-15. https://www.eajournals.org/wp-content/uploads/Vote-in-Brazil-and-General- Elections-2018-Are-the-Pillars-of-Democracy-in-Danger.pdf. (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). Bacelar da Silva, A. J., and E. Robb Larkins. 2019. "The Bolsonaro Election, Antiblackness, and Changing Race Relations in Brazil." The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology 24 (4): 893-913. DOI: 10.1111/jlca.12438. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CANADA (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 43rd Canadian general election took place on Monday, October 21, 2019, to elect members of the lower house of Canada (The House of Commons). The turnout among registered voters was 67.1%. The governing Liberal Party (Lib), led by incumbent Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, remained the largest party and stayed in government, but lost the majority they had won in 2015. With 157 seats and 33% of the vote, the Liberal Party formed a minority government, despite having lost the popular vote to the Conservative Party. The Conservative Party (Con) led by Andrew Scheer gained 34% of the vote and 121 seats, an increase of 26 on its 2015 score. The Bloc Quebecois (BQ), a regional party only contesting seats in Quebec, advanced by winning 7.6% of the popular vote nationally, but one third of the vote in Quebec, gaining 22 additional seats and 32 in total. They became the third largest party in the House of Commons for the first time since 2008. The vote share of the New Democratic Party (NDP) diminished to 16%, with the party winning only 24 seats, its worst performance since 2004. The Green Party achieved its best election results with 6.6% of the votes and three seats. The People's Party, contesting for the first time on a largely populist platform, did not win any seats. Its leader, Maxime Bernier, who had previously contested the Conservative Party leadership, losing out to Andrew Scheer, lost his seat in Beauce, Quebec. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - CANADA (2019) Stephenson, L. B., A. Harell, D. Rubenson, and P. J. Loewen. 2021. "Measuring Preferences and Behaviours in the 2019 Canadian Election Study." Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique 54 (1): 118-124. DOI: 10.1017/S0008423920001006 Nanos, N. 2020. "From "sunny ways" to "dark days": the 2019 Canadian Federal Election suggests that Canada is not a positive outlier to populist politics but gripped by feelings of declinism." Canadian Foreign Policy Journal 26 (2): 207-217. DOI: 10.1080/11926422.2020.1724166. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CHILE (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Chilean general elections were held on Sunday, November 19, 2017. Voters went to the polls to elect a President, the Chamber of Deputies (lower house), 23 of the 43 Senate members (upper house), as well as regional boards. In the Presidential elections, 46.6% of registered voters voted in the first round, but no candidate won the required majority, necessitating a second round on Sunday, December 17, 2017. Turnout increased slightly in the second round to 49%, as the opposition candidate and former President Sebastian Pinera (having served as President between 2010-2014), defeated Alejandro Guillier, representing The Force of Majority coalition, which held the presidency before the 2017 elections. The legislative elections were the first held since the electoral reform of 2015, whereby a more proportional system replaced the binomial electoral system in operation since 1989. In the Chamber of Deputies, the Chile Vamos coalition, led by National Renewal (RN) and Independent Democratic Union (UDI), won the most seats - 72, gaining 23 seats compared to their performance in 2013. The governing New Majority alliance lost its majority in both houses of the Chilean Parliament <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - CHILE (2017) Gamboa, R., and M. Morales. 2016. "Chile's 2015 Electoral Reform: Changing the Rules of the Game." Latin American Politics and Society 58 (4): 124-144. DOI: 10.1111/laps.12005. Parline database on national parliaments. 2017. "Chile Camara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2063_E.htm. (Date accessed: March 20, 2019). Santana, A., J. R. Montero, and J. Rama. 2020. "Reassessing Downs: Testing the Influence of Voters' Characteristics in a Chilean Presidential Election." Journal of Politics in Latin America 12 (1): 77-103. DOI: 10.1177/1866802X20913886. Segovia, C., and R. Gamboa. 2020. "Between Knowing and Feeling: Emotions and the Vote in the 2017 Chilean Presidential Election." Opiniao Publica 26 (3): 452-474. DOI: 10.1590/1807-01912020263452. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - COSTA RICA (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Costa Rica general election took place on Sunday, February 4, 2018 to elect both the President and the Legislative Assembly. The second round of the Presidential election was held on Sunday, April 1, 2018. Turnout among registered voters was 65.6% in Round 1, and slightly higher in Round 2 at 66.5%. Incumbent President Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera was term limited and could not seek re-election (in Costa Rica, an incumbent President only becomes eligible to contest the Presidency again eight years after leaving office). In Round 1 of the Presidential elections, the two candidates with the most votes advanced to Round 2, namely Fabricio Alvarado Munoz from the National Restoration Party and Carlos Alvarado Quesada from the Citizens' Action Party, both of whom achieved 25% and 22% of the vote respectively in Round 1. In the run-off, Carlos Alvarado Quesada prevailed with 60.6% of the votes. Same-sex marriage was a prominent issue in the campaign after a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights required Costa Rica to recognize same-sex unions. Alvardo Quesada campaigned in the election to honor the Court's decision. He became the youngest Costa Rican President to assume office at aged 38 when sworn into office in May 2018. Meanwhile, the previously dominant National Liberation Party received its worst ever result, with Presidential candidate Antonio Alvarez Desanti finishing a distant third, with 19% of the vote in Round 1, and failing to advance to the run-off. In the legislative assembly, comprising 57 seats, and elected through a closed list proportional representation system, despite suffering its worst result ever (winning only 19.5% of the vote), the National Liberation Party won the most seats (17). The National Restoration Party scored its best result ever, winning 18.2% of the vote, and 14 seats, to take second place, the best result ever for a religious party in Costa Rica history. The Citizens' Action Party won 10 seats, down three on its 2014 performance while the Social Christian Unity Party won 9 seats. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - COSTA RICA (2018) Colburn, F. D., and A. Cruz S. 2018. "Latin America's Shifting Politics: The Fading of Costa Rica's Old Parties." Journal of Democracy 29 (4): 43-53. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2018.0061. Villarreal Fernandez, E., and B. M. Wilson. 2018. "Costa Rica's 2018 elections: corruption, morality politics, and voter alienation make uncertainty the only certainty." LSE Latin America and Caribbean Blog, February 1, 2018. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/02/01/costa- ricas-2018-elections-corruption-morality-politics-and-voter-alienation-make- uncertainty-the-only-certainty/. (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). Villarreal Fernandez, E., and B. M. Wilson. 2018. "Costa Rica's 2018 elections: the two Alvarados, between deepening division and democratic dependability." LSE Latin America and Caribbean Blog, February 8, 2018. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2018/02/08/costa-ricas-2018-elections -the-two-alvarados-between-deepening-division-and-democratic-dependability/. (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CZECHIA (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Czech parliamentary elections were held on Friday, October 20, and Saturday, October 21, 2017. Voter turnout for the parliamentary elections was 60.8%, a slight increase of 1.5% compared to the 2013 contest. The Chamber of Deputies, which comprises 200 seats and is elected in 14 constituencies, is elected by open-list proportional representation, in which voters can give their preferential vote to up to four candidates on a list. Outgoing Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka of the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD) stood down as party leader in spring 2017 after a string of poor opinion polls, but continued on as Prime Minister until the election. But despite the change in leadership, the party, under the stewardship of Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek, suffered major losses, losing 35 of its 50 seats, and falling from first to sixth position in the nationwide vote share. It won only 7.3% of the vote, its worst performance since 1996. In contrast, the CSSD's former coalition partner, the populist Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO 2011), under its leader Andrej Babis, who had been mired in accusations of financial impropriety when he had served as Finance Minister, topped the poll. They won 29.6% of the vote and 78 seats, an increase of 31 on its 2013 performance. Two parties made significant breakthroughs. The Czech Pirate Party (CPS) came in third place, and entered the lower house for the first time, winning 22 seats and 10.8% of the vote. And in fourth place, the populist Freedom and Direct Democracy Party (SPD), formed in 2015, won 10.6% of the vote and 22 seats. The election marked the most fragmented Czech parliament ever, with the outgoing lead opposition party, the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) led by Vojtech Filip, also suffering significant losses, winning 7.8% of the vote and 15 seats, a net loss of 18. Andrej Babis (ANO) became Prime Minister in December 2017 but did not have a sustainable parliamentary majority, with his first minority government defeated in a motion of confidence in the Czech parliament in January 2018. After months of negotiations, the ANO and CSSD formed a minority government in June 2018, bolstered by a confidence and supply agreement with KSCM. Babis headed this coalition. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - CZECHIA (2017) Pilecek, R. 2021. "The influence of mayors as candidates in the 2017 parliamentary elections on voter decision-making in Czechia." AUC GEOGRAPHICA 56 (2): 234-247. DOI: 10.14712/23361980.2021.15. Pinto, R. P. P., D. J. P. Chiquelho, R. M. Farinha, and T. A. D. A. Simoes. (2021). Parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic. DOI: 10.34628/cqwh-yg48. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - CZECHIA (2021) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2021 Czech parliamentary elections were held on Friday, October 8, and Saturday, October 9, 2021. The elections took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Voter turnout for the parliamentary election was 65.4%, 4.6- points higher compared to 2017. The Chamber of Deputies comprises 200 seats and is elected in 14 constituencies. It is elected by open-list proportional representation, in which voters can give their preferential vote to up to four candidates on a list. Following the 2017 parliamentary elections, a minority government comprising the Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO 2011) and the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), with a confidence and supply agreement with the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM), was formed led by Andrej Babis. The 2021 contest was one of the closest in Czech history. The ANO retained much of their support, winning 27.1% of the vote and 72 seats, the largest bloc in parliament. But the SPOLU electoral alliance, comprising The Civic Democratic Party (ODS), the Christian Democratic Union- Czechoslovak People's Party (KDU-CSL) and TOP 09, won more votes (27.8%), but one seat fewer (71). The result was seen as a surprise as ANO had held leads in the opinion polls in the months before the contest. Coming in third was the alliance between Pirates and Mayors (PirStan), who won 15.6% of the vote and 37 seats. The contest was notable for the Czech Social Democratic Party (CSSD), so long one of the leading parties in Czech politics, failing to win any seats and recording its worst result ever, winning 4.7%. In November 2021, Petr Fiala, leader of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the SPOLU electoral alliance, was appointed Prime Minister at the head of a SPOLU and PirStan coalition government. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - CZECHIA (2021) Weiss, T. 2022. "Parliamentary election in the Czech Republic, 8-9 October 2021." BLUE 2 (1): 136-140. Maskarinec, P., and V. Naxera. 2022. "The Pirates of Czechia: The Curse of Preferential Vote." Slovak Journal of Political Sciences 22 (1): 5-24. DOI: 10.34135/sjps.220101. Pinto, R. P. P., D. J. P. Chiquelho, R. M. Farinha, and T. A. D. A. Simoes. (2021). Parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic. DOI: 10.34628/cqwh-yg48. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - DENMARK (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Danish general election took place on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, to elect all 179 members of the Folketing, the Danish unicameral legislature. The turnout rate among registered voters was 84.2% (84.6% mainland Denmark only). Incumbent Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen contested for re-election. In 2015, his party Venstre (V) had started the previous term with a single-party minority government. In 2016, a coalition government dubbed the "blue bloc" formed consisting of the Liberal Alliance (LA). the Conservative People's Party (KF), and Venstre, which was supported by the Danish People's Party (DF). Although Venstre improved on its 2015 performance by gaining 23.1% of the vote and 43 seats (an increase of nine), other parties in the blue bloc suffered setbacks. The Danish People's Party (DF) lost more than half their seats, scoring only 16 seats, their worst result since 1998. The Liberal Alliance was reduced to 4 seats, having won 13 in 2015. Meanwhile, the Conservative People's Party won more seats (up to 12 from six in 2015), but the conservative blue bloc was still short of a parliamentary majority. In contrast, the Social Democratic Party (S), traditionally the biggest member of the leftist "red bloc", emerged as the largest party, winning 25.6% of the vote and 48 seats. The Danish Social Liberal Party (RV) doubled its seat share by obtaining 16 seats (up from 8), as did the Socialist People's Party (SF, 14 seats, up from 7). After the election, Queen Margrethe II tasked the leader of the Social Democratic Party, Mette Fredriksen, with forming a new government. Frederiksen formed a single-party minority government supported by RV and SF, and took office as Denmark's new Prime Minister on June 27, 2019. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - DENMARK (2019) Christiansen, F. J. 2020. "The 2019 Danish General Election - A Shift to the Centre-Left." Scandinavian Political Studies 43 (2): 73-79. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9477.12162. Kosiara-Pedersen, K. 2020. "Stronger core, weaker fringes: the Danish general election 2019." West European Politics 43 (4): 1011-1022. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1655920. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - EL SALVADOR (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 El Salvador Presidential elections were held on Sunday, February 3, 2019, with a turnout of 51.9%. The winner was Nayib Bukele with 53.1% of the vote, replacing former President Salvador Sanchez Ceren (FMLN). The runner-up was Carlos Calleja (ARENA) with 31.7% and coming in third, Hugo Martinez (FMLN), who won 14.4% of the vote. Bukele's win brought to an end the three-decade-long hold on power by the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) parties. Bukele was a member of FMLN, representing the party as the mayor of San Salvador, the nation's capital, until the party expelled him, due to allegations of promoting internal party divisions. To contest the 2019 elections, Bukele formed a new party, Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas, NI). However, this new party failed to complete its registration with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal in time to contest the 2019 elections. Consequently, Bukele decided to run as a candidate of the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA), a party that held only 10 seats in the legislature. Bukele concentrated his campaign heavily on social media and chose not to participate in public debates. The main focus of his campaign was tackling corruption, one of the biggest issues in El Salvador, as well as embracing an anti-elite, anti-establishment platform directed against the long- standing parties in the system, the FMLN and ARENA. Bukele's campaign benefited from citizen discontent with these actors. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - EL SALVADOR (2019) Perello, L., and P. Navia. 2022. "The disruption of an institutionalised And polarised party system: Discontent with democracy and the rise of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador." Politics 42 (3): 267-288. DOI: 10.1177/02633957221077181. Cordova, A. 2019. "Living in Gang-Controlled Neighborhoods: Impacts on Electoral and Nonelectoral Participation in El Salvador." Latin American Research Review 54 (1): 201-221. DOI: 10.25222/larr.387. Gavarrete, J. 2021. "In El Salvador, Bukele Reigns Supreme." NACLA Report on the Americas 53 (2): 115-117. DOI: 10.1080/10714839.2021.1923195. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - FINLAND (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Finnish Parliamentary election took place on Sunday, April 14, 2019. Voters elected 200 members to the Finnish Parliament. Turnout in the 2019 elections were 68.7%, up two percentage points compared to the turnout in the 2015 elections. Three center-right parties formed the incumbent government. It was led by the Center Party (KESK, the biggest party before the 2019 election), along with The Finns Party (PS) and National Coalition Party (KOK). Their coalition was shaken by crisis in 2017 when Center Party and National Coalition Party said that they would no longer co-operate with the Finns Party after Jussi Halla-aho was elected Finns Party Chair. Halla-aho was an outspoken critic of immigration in Finland and had made other controversial statements in his online blog before assuming the party leadership. After his election, 21 sitting members of the Finns Party left the party, and formed a new party Blue Reform (SIN), which continued to support the governing coalition until the 2019 elections, ensuring KESK and KOK maintained a majority. The Center Party (KESK) and the new Blue Reform (SIN) were the biggest losers of the 2019 elections. The Center Party lost 18 seats in Parliament, while Blue Reform lost all its MPs. The Social Democratic Party (SDP) emerged as the biggest party after the 2019 elections, and went on to form a coalition government with the Center Party (KESK), Green League (VIHR), the Left Alliance (VAS) and the Swedish People's Party (RKP). Anti Rinne of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) became Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - FINLAND (2019) Arter, D. 2020. "When a pariah party exploits its demonised status: the 2019 Finnish general election." West European Politics 43 (1): 260-273. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1635799. Borg, S. 2019. "The Finnish parliamentary election of 2019: Results and voting patterns." Scandinavian Political Studies 42 (2): 182-192. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9477.12150. Palonen, E. 2020. "Finland: Political Developments and Data in 2019." European Journal of Political Research Political Yearbook 59 (1): 130-141. DOI: 10.1111/2047-8852.12297. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - FRANCE (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 French Presidential elections were held across two rounds: The first round was held on Sunday, April 23, 2017, and the second-round run-off held on Sunday, May 7, 2017. For the first time in the French Fifth Republic, the incumbent President, Francois Hollande of the Socialist Party (PS), who had been first elected in 2012, announced in December 2016 he would not seek a second term, a decision made in light of continued low approval ratings. In the first round, eleven candidates competed for the Presidency, with the top four coming in close together on a turnout of 77.8%. Emmanuel Macron, the former Economy and Industry Minister in the Socialist cabinet of Manuel Vallas (2014-16), competing for his newly-founded liberal party, La Republique en Marche (The Republic Onwards, LaREM), came first with 24% of the vote. He was followed closely by Marine Le Pen of the Front National (FN) on 21.3%. Francois Fillon, former Prime Minister and candidate of the leading right party, The Republicans, came third with 20%, his campaign having been dogged by corruption allegations. In fourth, Jean-Luc Melenchon of the leftist Indomitable France scored 19.6%. Macron and Le Pen advanced to the run-off election, a contest that for the first time since 1974 contained a candidate from neither the traditional rightist or leftist parties. On a turnout of 74.6%, Macron was elected President, defeating Le Pen in a landslide, scoring 66.1% of the popular vote. He assumed the Presidency in May 2017, and called fresh parliamentary elections in June 2017, with his newly formed LaREM winning a parliamentary majority. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - FRANCE (2017) Evans, J., and G. Ivaldi. 2018. The 2017 French Presidential Elections. A Political Reformation? Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-68327-0. Gougou, F., and S. Persico. 2017. "A new party system in the making? The 2017 French Presidential election." French Politics 15 (3): 303-321. DOI: 10.1057/s41253-017-0044-7. Lachat, R., and M. Michel. 2020. "Campaigning in an unprecedented election: issue competition in the French 2017 Presidential election." West European Politics 43 (3): 565-586. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1655960. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GERMANY (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 German Federal election was held on Sunday, September 24, 2017. 76.2% of registered voters voted. The incumbent Chancellor Angela Merkel fought for a fourth term in office as the joint candidate of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU - together constituting the Unionspartei). Despite remaining the strongest parliamentary group with a vote share of 32.9%, the Union parties experienced a significant loss of votes, scoring its worst result since 1949. Likewise, the Union's outgoing coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered its worst electoral performance in post-war history, only gaining 20.5% of the vote. Making a return to parliament after failing to pass the electoral threshold in 2013, the Liberals (FDP), under Christian Linder, won 10.7%. Meanwhile, the radical party, the Alternative for Germany (AfD) entered the parliament for the first time in history with a vote share of 12.6%, scoring third place. Due to the shrinking vote share of the two traditional of the major party blocs, two additional parties in parliament and the SPD's initial announcement to break with the Grand Coalition, government formation was unprecedentedly challenging. After failed exploratory talks between the Union parties, the Liberals, and the Greens, the Federal President of Germany acted as a facilitator, and initiated the first meetings between the Union and the Social Democrats. Following lengthy negotiations and a vote by SPD-members on the coalition agreement, the Grand Coalition was re-constituted with Angela Merkel beginning a fourth successive term as Chancellor on March 14, 2018. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GERMANY (2017) Braeuninger, T., M. Debus, J. Mueller, and C. Stecker. 2018. "Party Competition and Government Formation in Germany: Business as Usual or New Patterns?" German Politics 28 (1): 80-100. DOI: 10.1080/09644008.2018.1538362. Dostal, J. M. 2017. "The German Federal Election of 2017: How the Wedge Issue of Refugees and Migration Took the Shine off Chancellor Merkel and Transformed the Party System." The Political Quarterly 88 (4): 589-602. DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.12445. Hansen, M. A., and J. Olsen. 2019. "Flesh of the Same Flesh: A Study of Voters for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the 2017 Federal Election." German Politics 28 (1): 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/09644008.2018.1509312. Parline database on national parliaments. 2017. "Germany, Deutscher Bundestag (German Bundestag)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline/reports/2121_E.htm. (Date accessed: January 11, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GERMANY (2021) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2021 German Federal election was held on Sunday, September 26, 2021. The elections took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Long standing incumbent Chancellor, Angela Merkel (CDU), stood down after sixteen years in office, and did not run in the elections, the first time an incumbent Chancellor had not contested. The election marked the first time three parties put forward Chancellor candidates, with the Greens, buoyed by promising opinion polls, nominating Annalena Baerbock. The SPD nominated Vice Chancellor in the outgoing administration, Olaf Scholz, while the Union settled on Armin Laschet of the CDU, who prevailed first against former CDU party leader Frederich Merz, and then beat out the CSU Chair, Markus Soeder, Minister-President of Bavaria for the nomination. On a turnout of 76.6%, the SPD won a plurality of the vote, against initial expectations, scoring 25.7% of the vote, the party's best result in a Bundestag election since 2005. The Unionspartei came second with 24.1%, its worst result ever, and down from its 32.9% in 2017, itself a historic low. While the Greens recorded their best result in a federal contest ever, winning 14.8%, they fell below initial expectations, which had indicated the party could top the national poll. The Liberals (FDP) led by Christian Lindner, came fourth, winning 11.5% of the vote. While the Left Party (DIE LINKE) just managed to avoid electoral annihilation, with its three direct mandates, ensuring the party was entitled to a share of list seats, despite falling below the 5% of the vote threshold. Both the SPD and Unionspartei ruled out the continuance of the Grand Coalition, which had been in office since 2013. After complex negotiations, a "traffic-light coalition" (designated by the colors of each party) was agreed between the SPD, the Greens, and the FDP. The Bundestag elected Olaf Scholz as the new Chancellor on December 8, 2021, bringing to an end sixteen years of Christian Democratic (Unionspartei) participation in government. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GERMANY (2021) Dostal, J. M. 2021. "Germany's Federal Election of 2021: Multi-Crisis Politics and the Consolidation of the Six-Party System." The Political Quarterly 92 (4): 662-672. DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.13080. Faas, T., and Klingelhoefer, T. 2022. "German politics at the traffic light: new beginnings in the election of 2021." West European Politics 45 (7): 1506-1521. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2022.2045783. Hansen, M. and Olsen, J. 2022. "The Alternative for Germany (AfD) as Populist Issue Entrepreneur: Explaining the Party and its Voters in the 2021 German Federal Election." German Politics. DOI: 10.1080/09644008.2022.2087871. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREAT BRITAIN (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 British general election took place on Thursday, June 8, 2017, to elect the members of the House of Commons, two years after the previous general election in 2015. An election had not been due until May 2020 under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, ratified in 2011. However, the new Prime Minister Theresa May, who had come to power in July 2016 after David Cameron's resignation as Conservative Party leader in the aftermath of Brexit referendum, wanted a larger parliamentary majority to strengthen her negotiating position with the European Union. The House of Commons voted to dissolve itself in April 2017, surpassing the two thirds majority required to trigger early elections. The turnout among registered voters was 69.1% and resulted in a disappointing result for the incumbent Conservative Party, who won 43.5% of the vote, but lost 13 seats, winning 317, nine short of a parliamentary majority. The Labor Party, led by the self-identified socialist Jeremy Corbyn, defied expectations, winning 41% of the popular vote, the best result for the party since 2001 in vote share, and winning an additional 30 seats, although it was still far from obtaining a majority. The Liberal Democrats, campaigning on a strong pro-EU platform, diminished to 7.6% and 12 seats resulting in a smaller overall vote share but an increase of four seats. Meanwhile in Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) fell back on its historic performance in the 2015 contests. While it remained the largest party in Scotland, the party lost 21 seats, winning 35 this time around. The vote share of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), the third-largest party in 2015 by votes, decreased from 12.6% to 1.9% and it lost its only seat. In Wales, Plaid Cymru (PC) gained four sets increasing them by one additional. The Green Party (GP) retained its only seat. The election resulted in the Conservative Party remaining in power after Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May negotiated a confidence and supply agreement with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a Northern Ireland religious party. The parliamentary arithmetic would lead to a period of protracted deadlock between supporters of Britain leaving the EU and those advocating remaining or offering voters another referendum. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GREAT BRITAIN (2017) Dorey, P. 2017. "Jeremy Corbyn confounds his critics: explaining the Labour party's remarkable resurgence in the 2017 election." British Politics 12 (3): 308-334. DOI: 10.1057/s41293-017-0058-4. Curtice, J., S. Fisher, J. Kuha, and J. Mellon. 2017. "Surprise, surprise!(again) The 2017 British general election exit poll." Significance 14 (4): 26-29. DOI: 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2017.01054.x. Sanders, A., and R. Shorrocks. 2019. "All in this together? Austerity and the gender-age gap in the 2015 and 2017 British general elections." The British Journal of Politics and International Relations 21 (4): 667-688. DOI: 10.1177/1369148119864699. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREAT BRITAIN (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 British general election took place on Thursday, December 12, 2019, the first December election in Britain since 1923, to elect members of the House of Commons, two years after the previous general election in 2017. Turnout among registered voters in the election was 67.7%. An election had not been due until May 2022 under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, ratified in 2011. But political turmoil and disagreement over Brexit - the United Kingdom's departure from the EU - saw Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May quit in summer 2019 after poor election results in EU elections and her successive failure to get parliamentary support for the exit deal her government had negotiated with the EU. This saw Britain's leaving the EU, originally scheduled for March 2019, delayed. Post the 2017 elections, the incumbent Conservative government was in a minority in parliament, relying on the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), a religious party from Northern Ireland, to govern. Boris Johnson became Conservative leader and Prime Minister in July 2019. Johnson launched new negotiations with the EU and made three attempts to have the House of Commons dissolve itself for an early general election to break the parliamentary logjam that had developed over the Brexit issue. All three attempts failed and an election was only called when Prime Minister Johnson agreed to allow for more time for negotiations with the EU, with the House of Commons voting to dissolve itself on October 31, 2019. The Conservatives won a fourth successive term of government, winning 44.7% of the vote and 365 seats, yielding an overall majority of 80, the best performance for the party since 1987. The Labor Party, under Jeremy Corbyn, had their worst result since 1935, losing 60 seats, and winning only 33% of the vote. The Scottish National Party prevailed in Scotland, winning 45% of the vote there, and 48 of the 59 Scottish seats. But while the Liberal Democrat vote increased, the party failed to advance in terms of seats, with leader Jo Swinson losing her seat to the SNP. A characteristic of this election was the strategic placement of candidates by some parties to avoid splitting the pro and anti-Brexit votes. The Brexit Party, led by prominent Eurosceptic Nigel Farage, stood aside in many Conservative seats. Meanwhile, an electoral pact was formed between the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru (who contest in Wales only) and the Greens called "Unite to Remain", with each party standing aside in several constituencies. Boris Johnson remained as Prime Minister and Britain left the European Union in January 2020. The 2019 contest marked the third general election in four and a half years, the most unstable period in British politics since the 1970s. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GREAT BRITAIN (2019) Prosser, C. 2021. "The end of the EU affair: The UK general election of 2019." West European Politics 44 (2): 450-461. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2020.1773640. Mellon, J. 2022. "Tactical Voting and Electoral Pacts in the 2019 UK General Election." Political Studies Review 20 (3): 504-516. DOI: 10.1177/14789299211027423. Cutts, D., M. Goodwin, O. Heath, and P. Surridge. 2020. "Brexit, the 2019 General Election and the Realignment of British Politics." The Political Quarterly 91 (1): 7-23. DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.12815. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREECE (2015) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Parliamentary elections in Greece were held on Sunday, September 20, 2015. These were the second Parliamentary elections in Greece within the year, with an election previously held in January 2015. It was the sixth general election in Greece since 2007, a country still dealing with the catastrophic aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The elections were called after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras agreed a new European Stability Mechanism for Greece in July 2015. Initially, his government struggled to convince the Parliament to accept the deal. Eventually the deal was passed, with the help of opposition parties but more than 40 SYRIZA (main government party) MPs voted against the deal. Tsipras resigned as Prime Minister shortly afterwards. Turnout in the elections was 56.2%, seven percentage points lower than the January poll, and the lowest turnout recorded in a Greek election since the restoration of democracy in 1974. SYRIZA and its coalition partner ANEL surprised many by retaining their majority in the Greek Parliament, with SYRIZA falling just six seats short of winning an overall majority in its own right. Six other won parliament representation, with New Democracy (ND) the biggest opposition party. Alexsis Tsipras remained Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GREECE (2015) Andreadis, I. 2018. "Measuring Authoritarian Populism with Expert Surveys. Extending CHES estimates on populism and authoritarianism." In Electoral Integrity Project (EIP) 2018 Seminar Series. Sydney, AU. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/5b0c81cb 575d1fdde9b34089/1527546335460/Measuring+Authoritarian+Populism+Expert+ Surveys+28-5-2018.pdf. (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). Rori, L. 2016. "The 2015 Greek parliamentary elections: from great expectations to no expectations." West European Politics 39 (6): 1323-1343. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2016.1171577. Tsatsanis, E., and E. Teperoglou. 2016. "Realignment under Stress: The July 2015 Referendum and the September Parliamentary Election in Greece." South European Society and Politics 21: 427-450. DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2016.1208906. Parline database on national parliaments. 2016. "Greece. Vouli Ton Ellinon (Hellenic Parliament)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2125_E.htm. (Date accessed: March 29, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - GREECE (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Greek Parliamentary election was held on Sunday, July 7, with a turnout of 57.8% of registered voters. The 2019 elections were called earlier than anticipated after disappointing results for the incumbent SYRIZA government in European Parliament and local elections, held in May 2019. The elections marked the first contest since Greece had exited a series of financial bailouts from international institutions like the EU and the IMF. Key issues of the campaign included the Prespa Agreement, a deal signed in 2018 signed by the Greek and North Macedonia governments ending a long- standing dispute between the two nations, and flash floods and wildfires in the Attica region. Incumbent government SYRIZA suffered losses in the election, their vote down 4-points on their 2015 performance (31.5%), and 59 seat loses, winning 86 seats. Main opposition party, New Democracy (ND) won the contest, winning 39.9% of the vote, and an overall majority of seats (158), an increase of 83 on their 2015 performance. Coming in third place was Fofi Gennimata's Movement for Change (KINAL) with 8.1% and 17 seats, followed by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 5.3% and 15 seats. The 2019 elections marked a return to the Greek tradition of two strong parties in parliament with New Democracy and SYRIZA holding 81% of the seats between them. Kyriakos Mitsotakis (ND) was sworn in as Prime Minister on July 8, 2019. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - GREECE (2019) Tsatsanis, E., Teperoglou, E., and Seriatos, A. 2020. "Two-partyism Reloaded: Polarisation, Negative Partisanship, and the Return of the Left-right Divide in the Greek Elections of 2019." South European Society and Politics 25 (3-4): 503-532. DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2020.1855798. Kakepaki, M. 2022. "Changes in Candidate Selection and the Sociodemographic Profile of Greek MPs. Evidence From the 2019 General Elections." Frontiers in Political Science 3: 777298. DOI: 10.3389/fpos.2021.777298. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - HONG KONG (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 elections to the Hong Kong Legislative Council (LegCo) were held on Sunday, September 4, 2016. In total, 70 seats were at stake. The CSES covers vote choice for the 35 seats that were elected by geographical constituencies where all eligible voters can cast a ballot. The remaining 35 seats were returned by functional constituencies (FCs), for which representatives of interest groups constitute the electorate (traditional FCs, 30 seats), or all remaining voters who are not a member of one of the traditional FCs (District Council FC, five seats). The 2016 LegCo election was the first election after the Occupy Central Movement in 2014, a movement of 79-day protests against the blocking of the electoral reform meant to introduce universal suffrage in electing Hong Kong's highest government official, the Chief Executive. A record high of 58.3% of registered voters turned out to vote in the GCs. Overall, despite losing three seats, the pro-Beijing camp secured its majority in the LegCo, keeping 40 of the 70 seats. Inside the pro-Beijing camp, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) remained the strongest party by winning 12 seats, seven of these in the geographical constituency election. While the pan-democrats group won 23 seats, localists emerged as a new force in the LegCo, increasing their seat share from one to six, all gained in the geographical constituencies. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - HONG KONG (2016) Kaeding, M. P. 2017. "The Rise of "Localism" in Hong Kong." Journal of Democracy 28 (1): 157-171. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2017.0013. Electoral Affairs Commission. 2016. "Report on the 2016 Legislative Council General Election." https://www.eac.gov.hk/pdf/legco/2016LCE_Report/en/2016lce_full_report.pdf. (Date accessed: April 3, 2019). The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. "The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China." http://www.basiclaw.gov.hk/en/basiclawtext/index.html. (Date accessed: April 3, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - HUNGARY (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Hungarian Parliamentary election took place on Sunday, April 8, 2018. Turnout was 69.7% of all registered voters, up 8-points on the 2014 elections. The outgoing governing alliance of Fidesz and the Christian Democrats (KDNP) won the election, with 49.3% of votes, maintaining its two thirds majority in parliament it had obtained in 2014. The coalition had strongly campaigned on their opposition to immigration and a Eurosceptic nationalist platform. The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) scored its worst performance since 1990, falling to third place winning only 11.9% of the vote, and losing 12 seats, the third successive election where it lost votes. Leader Gergely Karacsony quit the leadership. Main opposition party Jobbik also saw its leader Gabor Vona resign after the election. While the incumbent government's victory was marked by protests in the capital Budapest on April 14, 2018, Viktor Orban was elected to a third successive term as Prime Minister on May 10, 2018, his fourth in all as he served as Prime Minister between 1998-2002. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - HUNGARY (2018) Bogaards, M. 2018. "De-democratization in Hungary: Diffusely Defective Democracy." Democratization 25 (8): 1487-1499. DOI: 10.1080/13510347.2018.1485015. Parline database on national parliaments. 2018. "Hungary Orszaggyules (National Assembly)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2141_E.htm. (Date accessed: January 18, 2019). Rona, D., and Z. Enyedi. 2021. "Total Victory: The 2018 Hungarian Elections in Terms of Economy, Migration and Media." In Wahlen und Waehler, edited by B. Wessels and H. Schoen, 477-501. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-658-33582-3_23. Schmidt, A. 2018. "Challenges of the Illiberal Democracy in Hungary. Some Aspects to the 2018 Elections." Polish Political Science Review 6 (2): 70-90. DOI: 10.2478/ppsr-2018-0014. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ICELAND (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 Icelandic lower house election took place on Saturday, October 29, 2016. The poll was triggered approximately one year earlier than anticipated following the resignation of Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson (Progressive Party, F) in the wake of mass protests with revelations of financial scandal emanating from the so-called Panama Papers in April 2016. Gunnlaugsson stood down as Prime Minister and was replaced by Fisheries Minister Sigurour Ingi Johannsson. However, opposition parties pressed for early elections, and in August 2016, elections were called for October 2016. In the election, turnout among eligible voters was 79.2%, and seven parties won representation in parliament (Althingi). The Progressive Party (F) suffered significant losses, losing 11 seats and winning only 11.5% of the vote, down nearly 13-points on its performance in 2013. As in 2013 (and throughout most of Iceland's democratic history), the Independence Party (Sj) secured the most votes (29.0%), but it was the Pirate Party (Pi) and the newly created Reform Party who made most gains. The former won 14.5% of the vote and increased its seat tally by 7, to become the third-largest party in parliament. Reform, consisting of some members who had split from the Independence Party, won 7 seats and 10.5%. Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Alliance suffered its worst result since 1999, losing six seats and coming seventh in vote share. Following lengthy coalition negotiations, the Independence Party (Sj), the Reform Party and Bright Future (BF) agreed to form a three-party coalition. On January 11, 2017, former Finance Minister and Independence Party leader Bjarni Benediktsson became Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ICELAND (2016) Hardarson, O. T., and G. H. Kristinsson. 2017. "Iceland." European Journal of Political Research - Political Data Yearbook 56 (1): 129-136. DOI: 10.1111/2047-8852.12173. Parline database on national parliaments. n.d. "Iceland Althingi (Parliament)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/arc/2143_16.htm. (Date accessed: July 20, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ICELAND (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Icelandic lower house election took place on Saturday, October 28, 2017. The election was the second one within a year, with the incumbent three-party government comprising the Independence Party (Sj), the Reform Party, and Bright Future (BF), collapsing in September 2017 in scandal. The scandal centered on a letter written by Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson's father recommending a convicted child molester having his "honor restored", a mechanism under Icelandic law where certain civil rights can be resorted after convicts serve the sentence if three letters of recommendations attesting the convicts' good character are received. It was discovered that Prime Minister Benediktsson (Sj) had knowledge of the letter written by his father but failed to tell his coalition partners about the letter for two months. Bright Future quit the coalition and new elections were called. Turnout among registered voters was 81.2%. The Independence Party (Sj) lost five seats, winning 25.3% of the vote and 16 seats, its poorest performance since 2009, although it remained the largest party in parliament. After posting a disappointing result in 2016, the Social Democratic Alliance bounced back, winning 12.1% of the vote and four additional seats, bringing its tally to 7 seats. The biggest winner was the Center Party (M) which had been formed in September 2017 after splitting from the Progressive Party (F). Under the leadership of former Prime Minister Sigmundur Gunnlaugsson, it won 10.9% of the vote, and 7 seats. Bright Future (BF), which had spent just nine months in government, lost four fifths of its popular support and lost all four of its seats. Overall, eight parties gained representation in the Icelandic lower house. On November 30, 2017, the Left-Green Movement's (VG) leader Katrin Jakobsdottir successfully negotiated a three-party coalition government consisting of her party, the Independence Party (Sj), and the Progressive Party (F). Jakobsdottir became Iceland's second female Prime Minister and the first Green-Left leader to occupy the office. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ICELAND (2017) Hardarson, O. P., and E. H. Oennudottir. 2018. "Election Report Iceland." Scandinavian Political Studies 41 (2): 233-237. DOI: 10.1111/1467-9477.12112. Oennudottir, E. H., and O. P. Hardarson. 2018. "Political cleavages, party voter linkages and the impact of voters' socio-economic status on vote- choice in Iceland, 1983-2016/17." Icelandic Review of Politics and Administration 14 (1): 101-130. DOI: 10.13177/irpa.a.2018.14.1.5. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - INDIA (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Indian general election was held across seven phases between Thursday, April 11, 2019, and Sunday, May 19, 2019, with 900 million voters eligible to participate and 650 parties competing. Results were declared on Wednesday, May 23, 2019. Turnout among registered voters was 67.4%, the highest turnout in India history, with the election seeing the highest turnout among women voters ever. The incumbent government, led by the Indian People's Party (BJP), extended its electoral appeal by implementing welfare programs while in office, targeting India's lower castes, shedding its historical reputation for being more associated with advancing the interests of India's upper castes. During the campaign, the outgoing government, focused on national security, especially after the Pulwama Attack in February 2019. A convoy of vehicles transporting Indian security personnel was attacked by a vehicle borne suicide bomber, killing 40. The attack was claimed by a Pakistan Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, and saw the Indian government respond with airstrikes. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), spearheaded by by the Indian People's Party (BJP), won a landslide victory, winning 353 of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha, India's lower house of parliament. It marked the BJPs best ever result since the party was founded in 1980, with the party winning the highest vote share obtained by a single party in 30 years. The main opposition coalition - the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - led by the the Indian National Congress (INC), India's dominant party between the 1950s and early 1990s, won 91 seats. For the INC, it was its worst electoral outing in its history. Narendra Modi, outgoing Prime Minister and leader of the BJP, was sworn in for a second term on May 30, 2019, in a contest that was seen by some as a referendum on his leadership. It marked the first time the BJP and its allies formed a consecutive government having previously served a full-term in office. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - INDIA (2019) Chhibber, P., and R. Verma. 2019. "The Rise of the Second Dominant Party System in India: BJP's New Social Coalition in 2019." Studies in Indian Politics 7(2): 131-148. DOI: 10.1177/2321023019874628. Jaffrelot, C. 2019. "Class and Caste in the 2019 Indian Election-Why Have So Many Poor Started Voting for Modi? "Studies in Indian Politics 7(2): 149-160. DOI: 10.1177/2321023019874890. Ziegfeld, A. 2020. "A new dominant party in India? Putting the 2019 BJP victory into comparative and historical perspective. "India Review 19(2): 136-152. DOI: 10.1080/14736489.2020.1744995. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - IRELAND (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 Irish general election took place on Friday, February 26, 2016. Turnout among registered voters was 65.1%. The election was the first since the 2011 "Earthquake" election which saw the dominant party, Fianna Fail (FF), suffer a crushing defeat over its handling of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). The election was also the first since the introduction of a gender-quota law for candidate selection which permits a party must have at least 30% of candidates from each gender or lose half of the state party funding for the subsequent parliamentary term. The 2016 election resulted in significant losses for the incumbent Fine Gael (FG)/Labor (Lab) coalition. The outgoing coalition, swept to office with a record majority in 2011, lost 57 seats. Fine Gael lost 11-points in vote share but still managed to secure the most votes (25.5%), but only 50 seats, down 26 on its 2011 performance. The Labor Party (Lab) suffered its worst result since 1987, losing all but 6 of its seats and its leader and deputy Prime Minister Joan Burton resigning. Fianna Fail (FF), under the leadership of Michael Martin, saw a resurgence, winning 44 seats and 24% of the vote. There were also significant gains for the Nationalist Sinn Fein (SF) and independent candidates. The government formation following the election lasted for 63 days as Fine Gael (FG) struggled to secure a government partner. After three failed attempts to elect a Taoiseach (Irish PM), Fine Gael finally secured support from nine independent candidates and agreed a confidence and supply deal with the main opposition party, Fianna Fail (FF). Enda Kenny was re-elected Taoiseach on May 6, 2016, the first FG Prime Minister to secure a second successive term since 1927. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - IRELAND (2016) Barrett, D. 2016. "Irish general election 2016 report: whither the party system?" Irish Political Studies 31(3): 418-431. DOI: 10.1080/07907184.2016.1195814. Gallagher, M., and M. Marsh. 2016. How Ireland Voted 2016. The Election that Nobody Won. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-40889-7. Marsh, M., D. M. Farrell, and T. Reidy. 2018. The Post-Crisis Irish Voter. Voting Behaviour in the Irish 2016 General Election. Manchester: Manchester University Press. DOI: 10.7765/9781526122650. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ISRAEL (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2020 Israeli legislative election was held on Monday, March 2, 2020, to elect the 120 members of the 23rd Knesset. This was the third election in the space of 13-months, and followed a period of political deadlock after the April and September 2019 contests failed to see a majority government formed. Voter turnout in the 2020 election was 71.5%. The election took place just before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 (although fieldwork for the 2020 study was conducted during the pandemic). As with the two contests in 2019, Likud and Blue and White emerged as the two strongest parties, with similar levels of support. Likud, led by incumbent long-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, received the most votes, scoring 29.5% and 36 seats. Blue and White, led by Benny Gantz, received 26.6% and 33 seats. Coming in third place was the Joint List, a political alliance of four Arab-majority parties: Balad, Hadash, Ta'al, and the Arab Democratic Party. Together they won 12.7% and 15 seats. Prior to the election, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz had vowed he would not form a government with incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was facing corruption charges. However, shortly after the election, the COVID-19 pandemic took root, and Gantz changed position and entered negotiations on the formation of a national unity government. After lengthy coalition talks, on May 17, 2020, Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in as Prime Minister of a new coalition government. The coalition arrangement involved a rotating Prime Ministership, with Gantz assuming the role of Prime Minister later in the parliamentary term. However, this new coalition was short-lived with the government failing to get support for its budget, and the coalition collapsed on December 23, 2020, prompting fresh elections in spring 2021. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ISRAEL (2020) Maor, M., R. Sulitzeanu-Kenan, and D. Chinitz. 2020. "When COVID-19, constitutional crisis, and political deadlock meet: the Israeli case from a disproportionate policy perspective." Policy and Society 39 (3): 442-457. DOI: 10.1080/14494035.2020.1783792. Aharoni, T., K. Tenenboim-Weinblatt, C. Baden, and M. Overbeck. 2022. "Dynamics of (dis)trust between the news media and their audience: The case of the April 2019 Israeli exit polls." Journalism 23 (2): 337-353. DOI: 10.1177/1464884920978105. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ITALY (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Italian general election, involving elections to both the lower and upper house, took place on Sunday, March 4, 2018. The elections were the first held under the new electoral system, approved in late 2017, by parliament, which involved both houses being elected using a parallel voting system. Voters had one vote and could cast their ballot for a party list only, a district candidate only, or a party list and a district candidate (split-ticket voting was not allowed). The vote was a fused vote in that a ballot for a party list would be extended to the party list's district candidate and a vote for a district candidate would be extended to the candidate's party. Of the deputies (Lower House), 232 were elected in single-member constituencies (plurality), and 386 were elected in multi- member constituencies by national proportional representation. Also, 12 deputies were elected in multi-member abroad constituencies. The 315 senators (Upper House) were elected in 116 single-member constituencies (plurality) and 193 were elected in multi-member districts by national proportional representation. Additionally, six deputies were elected in multi-member abroad constituencies. Turnout among registered voters was 72.9%. In the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House), the Five Star Movement (M5S) won the most seats, securing 265 out of the 630 total seats, and achieving 32.7% of the vote, but the center-right coalition emerged with the most votes and seats when counted together. The leading party of this alliance was the League (LN), who won 125 seats, an increase of 109 on the previous election. The incumbent Democratic Party (PD), the main party of the center-left coalition, was decimated, winning 18.8% of the vote and 112 seats, a loss of 180 compared to its 2013 performance. Meanwhile, in the Upper House, the Five Star Movement (M5S) also won the most seats but the center-right coalition together had the most votes and seats. Nearly three months after the election, on June 1, 2018, the Independent Guiseppe Conte was sworn in as Prime Minister, leading a coalition between the Five Star Movement (M5S) and the League (LN). <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ITALY (2018) Baldini, G., and M. F. N. Giglioli. 2019. "Italy 2018: The Perfect Populist Storm?" Parliamentary Affairs 73 (2): 363-384. DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsy052. Chiaramonte, A., and R. D'Alimonte. 2018. "The new Italian electoral system and its effects on strategic coordination and disproportionality." Italian Political Science 13 (1): 8-18. https://italianpoliticalscience.com/index.php/ips/article/view/34/24. (Date accessed: February 9, 2022). Chiaramonte, A., V. Emanuele, N. Maggini, and A. Paparo. 2018. "Populist Success in a Hung Parliament: The 2018 General Election in Italy." South European Society and Politics 23 (4): 479-501. DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2018.1506513. Garzia, D. 2019. "The Italian election of 2018 and the first populist government of Western Europe." West European Politics 32 (3): 670-680. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2018.1535381. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - JAPAN (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 General elections in Japan took place on Sunday, October 22, 2017. Voters elected 465 MPs of the Japanese House of Representatives, the lower house of the bicameral National Diet of Japan. Turnout in the 2017 elections was 53.7%. Conventionally, the House of Representatives has a fixed term of four years, and elections were not originally scheduled until 2018. However, incumbent Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called a snap poll, arguing he needed a fresh mandate to deal with the rising tensions, caused by missile launches and nuclear testing by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Besides the DPRK issue, other issues of prominence in the contest were the planned increase in consumption tax, and constitutional amendments focused on Article 9 of the Japanese constitution which prohibits war as a means of settling international disputes. In 2016, the Japanese electoral law changed. It saw the number of single-member constituencies decreased from 295 to 289. Additionally, the number of seats elected under the proportional segment decreased from 180 to 176. The eligible voting age also changed in the 2017 contest with eligible citizens aged 18 and above allowed vote (previously the eligible voting age had been 20). The Liberal Democratic Party, led by Shinzo Abe, and Komeito retained its two-thirds majority in the 2017 contest, winning a total of 335 seats. Shinzo Abe remained in office as Prime Minister, winning his fourth term, in the process becoming the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - JAPAN (2017) Pekkanen, R. J., S. R. Reed, E. Scheiner, and D. M. Smith. 2018. Japan Decides 2017: The Japanese General Election. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-76475-7. Parline database on national parliaments. 2017. "Japan Shugiin (House of Representatives)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2161_e.htm. (Date accessed: August 2, 2021). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LATVIA (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Latvian Parliamentary elections were held on Saturday, October 6, 2018. Latvian voters were called on to elect all 100 members of the Saeima (Latvian Parliament), through an open list-PR system from five multi-member constituencies. Turnout among registered voters was 54.6%, a four-point drop on the 2014 contest, and the lowest turnout in a Latvian parliamentary election since the onset of democratic elections in 1990. For the third successive occasion, the Social Democratic Party Harmony party won the most votes (19.9%) and seats (23), although their vote share declined by 3-points on their vote in 2014. The New Conservatives (JKP) made significant advances in the election, entering parliament for the first time, winning 16 seats and 13.7% of the vote. The Development/For (AP!), a liberal party also made gains, winning 13 seats and 12.1% of the vote. The elections saw the outgoing coalition government, led by Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis, and comprising New Unity (JV), National Alliance (NA), and the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) suffer significant losses. New Unity (JV), lost 16 seats, and slipped to seventh place in the share of the popular vote (6.7%), while the ZZS lost ten seats and won only 10% of the vote, down 9-points on its 2014 performance. A broad center-right coalition government took office in January 2019 comprising the New Conservative Party (JKP), Development/For! (AP!), the National Alliance (NA) and New Unity (JV). Arturs Krisjanis Karins, from New Unity, became Prime Minister. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - LATVIA (2016) Dean, L. A. 2020. "Striking out women: preferential voting and gender bias in Latvian Saeima elections." East European Politics 37 (4): 635-658. DOI: 10.1080/21599165.2020.1855423. Ijabis, Ivars. 2018. "2018 Parliamentary Elections in Latvia." Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). Ikstens, Janis. 2018. "The 2018 Latvian elections: new faces, old patterns." LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) blog (16 Oct 2018). Blog Entry. https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/109820/ (Date accessed: March 17, 2023). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LITHUANIA (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first round of Parliamentary elections in Lithuania was held on Sunday, October 9, 2016. In constituencies where no candidate won the required majority, the second round of elections was held on Sunday, October 23, 2016 (applicable to 68 out of 79 districts). Turnout in the first round among registered voters was 50.6% and in round 2 (in applicable constituencies) was 38.1%. These were the first elections in the country since the introduction of the Euro as the new national currency. The campaign primarily focused on the issues of emigration, inequality, the economy, and labor and business conditions. The Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) entered the election as the largest party in outgoing governing coalition comprised additionally of Lithuanian Poles Electoral Action - Christian Families Alliance (LLRA-KSS), Party Order and Justice (PTT), and the Labor Party (DP). The results were a disaster for the outgoing coalition, who collectively fell from 78 seats to 28. Most of the losses were for the LSDP, who came third in seats, winning 17, down from 38. The Labor Party (DP) suffered significant losses too, falling to seventh place in the popular vote and losing 27 seats (winning only two). The Lithuania Union of Farmers and Greens (LVZS) won the most seats for the first time in its history, scoring 54 out of 141, having only won one seat in the 2012 contest. There were gains too for the Liberal Movement (LRLS), who won four additional seats, to win 14 and become the fourth largest group in parliament. On November 9, 2016, the Lithuania Union of Farmers and Greens (LVZS) signed a coalition agreement with the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) to form a coalition government. Former Interior Minister Saulius Skvernelis was sworn in as Prime Minister on December 13, 2016. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - LITHUANIA (2016) Duvold, K., and M. Jurkynas. 2013. "Lithuania." In The Handbook of Political Change in Eastern Europe, 3rd edition, edited by S. Berglund, J. Ekman, K. Deegan-Krause, and T. Knutsen, 125-166. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. Jastramskis, M., and A. Ramonaite. 2017. "Lithuania." European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook 56 (1): 176-184. DOI: 10.1111/2047-8852.12165. Jurkynas, M. 2017. "The parliamentary election in Lithuania, October 2016." Electoral Studies 47: 46-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2017.04.001. Parline database on national parliaments. 2016. "Lithuania Seimas (Parliament)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2189_E.htm. (Date accessed: February 20, 2019). Website of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania. https://www.vrk.lt/en/home. (Date accessed: February 20, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - LITHUANIA (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first round of Lithuania's Parliamentary elections were held on Sunday, October 11, 2020. In constituencies where no candidate won the required majority, the second round of elections was held on Sunday, October 25, 2020 (applicable to 68 out of 71 districts). Turnout in the first round among registered voters was 47.2% and in round 2 was 39.2% (46.1% nationwide constituency). The elections took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the second round, special polling places for self-isolating voters were setup in several districts. Outgoing Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVZS) stood for re-election, supported by his own party, and the Social Democratic Labor Party (LSDDP). The latter formed in 2017 after a split in the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania (LSDP), over its participation in government. The incumbent government had retained its parliamentary majority between 2016 and 2020 by negotiating co-operation agreements with Order and Justice (TT) in 2018, and the Polish Electoral Action-Alliance of Christian Families (LLRA-KSS) in 2019. The main party in the outgoing government, the LVZS, suffered significant losses, losing 22 seats. Additionally, former pre-election government coalition members LSDP and LLRA-KSS also experienced electoral reverses, losing four and eight seats respectively. The Homeland Union - Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), the principal opposition party topped the poll, winning 50 seats, an increase of 19 on its 2016 support, and its best performance since 1996. Meanwhile, the Freedom Party (LP) entered parliament for the first time, winning eleven seats. Shortly after the first round, the TS-LKD, LS and the LP nominated Ingrida Simonyte, former Finance Minister and 2019 Presidential candidate, as Prime Minister. A coalition agreement between the three parties was struck in November, and Simonyte was sworn into office on November 24, 2020. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - LITHUANIA (2020) Jurkynas, M. 2021. "Change in a time of pandemic: the 2020 parliamentary elections in Lithuania." Journal of Baltic Studies 52(2): 269-278. DOI:10.1080/01629778.2021.1901754. Smolijaninovaite, K. 2021. "Lithuanian elections provide new opportunities and women empowerment." New Eastern Europe 45(2): 36-41. Available at: https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=933601 (Date accessed: May 16, 2022). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - MEXICO (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Mexican general elections took place on Sunday, July 1, 2018. They involved the Presidential and Congressional elections (Lower and Upper House). The election campaign was overshadowed by violence with more than 100 persons killed, mostly candidates for local political offices. Corruption scandals surrounding incumbent President Enrique Pena Nieto's Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), and some discontent regarding the outgoing President's handling of the disappearance of 43 Ayotzinapa students were considered to have dented the PRIs popularity. For the Presidential election, incumbent President Enrique Pena Nieto of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was ineligible for a second term as Mexico only allows a President stay in office for one term. Turnout among registered voters in the election was 63.2%. Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had contested the presidency in 2006 and 2012 under the banner of the Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD), but this time contested as the National Regeneration Movement candidate (MORENA) won a majority of the vote (54.7%) in Round 1. For the first time since 1988, a run-off vote for the presidency was avoided. Lopez Obrador, who had founded his party in 2015, defeated Ricardo Anaya Cortes of the National Action Party (PAN), who won 22.9% of the vote, and Jose Meade Kuribrena, who was supported by the PRI, and who won 16.9%. Independent candidate Jaime Rodrigo Calderon won 5.4%. Lopez Obrador assumed the presidency on December 1, 2018. His presidency marks the first time that the office has not been held by a candidate of either the PAN or PRI since the Mexican revolution. The 2018 Congressional elections also marked a milestone as Lopez Obrador's party secured majorities in both houses of Congress, the first time this had happened for an incoming President's party since 1994. Lopez Obrador's coalition consisting of MORENA, the Labor Party (PT) and the Social Encounter Party (PES) won 306 of 500 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 69 of 128 seats in the Senate. PAN's electoral coalition secured 131 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 39 in the Senate, becoming the second-largest force. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - MEXICO (2018) Aparicio, F. J., and R. Castro Cornejo. 2020. "2018 Elections. A Historical Political Juncture in Mexico. "Politica y gobierno 27(2): 3-21. Available at: http://www.politicaygobierno.cide.edu/index.php/pyg/article/view/1471/1047 (Date accessed: October 19, 2022). Mattiace, S. 2019. "Mexico 2018: AMLO's hour." Revista de ciencia politica (Santiago) 39(2): 285-311. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-090X2019000200285. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - MONTENEGRO (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 Montenegrin Parliamentary elections were held on Sunday, October 16, 2016. 73.4% of registered voters turned out to cast a vote. The elections were held amid controversy and anti-government protests which had taken root in autumn 2015. After corruption allegations concerning Montenegro's long-time President and Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, street demonstrations erupted, with serious riots in the capital Podgorica in October 2015. The main opposition alliance, the Democratic Front (DF), called for Djukanovic to resign and the formation of a cross-national transitional government to ensure fair elections in 2016. In January 2016, the governing coalition between the Democratic Party (DPS) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) collapsed after disagreements on the organization of the 2016 elections. In April 2016, the DPS struck a deal to form a provisional government with several opposition parties (Positive Montenegro, DEMOS, and the SDP), although the Democratic Front (DF), the main opposition, did not participate. The dominant DPS, in power since Montenegro's first elections in 1991, won the elections, winning 41.4% of the vote and 36 seats, an increase of 3 on its 2012 performance. The main opposition, DF, won 20.3% of the vote. Positive Montenegro were the big losers, losing all seven seats in parliament. Justice Minister Dusko Markovic became Prime Minister on November 28, 2016, succeeding Djukanovic. The election was overshadowed by a coup d'etat plot on election day, when several people, including two Russian nationals, were arrested and later charged in relation to the incident. The issue led to opposition parties declaring a collective boycott of parliament and the main opposition party later refusing to participate in local elections. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - MONTENEGRO (2016) Darmanovic, S. 2017. "The Never-Boring Balkans: The Elections of 2016." Journal of Democracy 28 (1): 116-128. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2017.0010. Parline database on national parliaments. n.d. "Montenegro Skupstina (Parliament)." Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2385_E.htm. (Date accessed: March 29, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NETHERLANDS (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, March 15, 2017, to elect all 150 members of the lower house. Turnout among registered voters was 81.9%. Incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte's coalition comprising his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and Labor (PvdA) were the first government to serve a full-term since the Purple coalition in 2002. Despite topping the poll winning 21.3% of the vote and 33 seats, the VVD lost eight seats and its vote contracted by nearly 5-points. Outgoing coalition partners Labor (PvdA) suffered their worst election result ever, winning only 5.7% of the vote and nine seats, falling to seventh place in the popular vote share, and losing 29 seats compared to its 2012 performance. The big winners in the contest where the Green Left, who gained ten seats, and won 9.1% of the vote, their best ever performance. There were also gains for Geert Wilders' right-wing populist Party for Freedom (PVV), who came second in the popular vote, winning 13.1%, and 20 seats, an increase of five. And Democrats 66 (D66) scored their best performance in 20-years, winning 12.2% of the vote and 19 seats. After failed negotiations between VVD, CDA, D66, and the Green Left in May 2017, VVD, CDA, and D66, after protracted negotiations, agreed to form a coalition with the Christian Union (CU) on October 9, 2017. The new coalition had 76 seats, a majority of two. The new government granted Mark Rutte a third consecutive term as Prime Minister. He who was sworn into office on October 26, 2017, closing the longest cabinet formation period in Dutch history at the time. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - NETHERLANDS (2017) van Ditmars, M. M., N. Maggini, and J. van Spanje. 2020. "Small Winners and Big Losers. Strategic Party Behaviour in the 2017 Dutch General Election." West European Politics 43 (3): 543-564. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1655959. van Holsteyn, J. J. M. 2018. "The Dutch parliamentary elections of March 2017." West European Politics 41 (6): 1364-1377. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2018.1448556. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NETHERLANDS (2021) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2021 Dutch general election was held on Wednesday, March 17, 2021, (with additional voting taking place March 15-16, 2021) as the election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 2021 election, the opportunity to vote by mail was granted temporarily to older citizens, due to the pandemic. All 150 members of the Dutch lower house were up for election and turnout among registered voters was 78.7%. Two months before the March 2021 contest, the outgoing government comprising incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte's People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD), the Christian Democrats (CDA), Liberals Democrats 66 (D66), and the Christian Union (CU) resigned after a parliamentary inquiry found authorities wrongly accused thousands of parents of making fraudulent child benefit claims. Until the election in March, the government remained in office in a caretaker capacity. Outgoing Prime Minister Mark Rutte's VVD topped the poll for the fourth election in a row, winning 21.9% of the vote and 34 seats, one up on its 2017 performance. Coalition partners D66 became the second-largest party, achieving their best result since 1994 (15% of the vote), and winning five additional seats (24 in total). Other winners included the Forum for Democracy (FvD), entering parliament for the first time winning 5% of the vote and six seats. The biggest losers in the election where the Green Left Party (GL), who lost six seats, falling to eight. Seventeen parties gained representation in parliament, the highest number in recent history. Lengthy coalition negotiations began, lasting 299 days. On January 10, 2022, the VVD, D66, CDA, and CU reformed their coalition, the first coalition with consecutive partners reformed since 1998, with Mark Rutte becoming Prime Minister for the fourth time. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - NETHERLANDS (2021) Otjes, S., and G. Voerman. 2022. "The Netherlands: Political Developments and Data in 2021. A Year without Government." European Journal of Political Research Political Data Yearbook 61: 323-338. DOI: 10.1111/2047-8852.12351. van Holsteyn, J. J. M., and G. A. Irwin. 2022. "The Dutch Parliamentary elections of March 2021." West European Politics 45 (7): 1493-1505. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2022.2070981. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NEW ZEALAND (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 New Zealand Parliamentary election was held on Saturday, September 23, 2017. The turnout among registered voters was 78.9%. Long serving Prime Minister John Key (leader of the Nationals) retired in December 2016 after eight years in office, being replaced by Bill English, who led the incumbent National Party (NP) into the election. They had governed as a minority administration since 2008 with the support of the ACT New Zealand (ACT) and United Future (UFNZ) parties. Opinion polls had anticipated a repeat of the 2014 election with the National Party expected to win a fourth term in office and the leading opposition party Labor lagging. Labor leader Andrew Little quit seven weeks before polling day in light of historically low Labor poll ratings. He was replaced by Jacinda Ardern, who at 37 became the youngest ever leader of the party. The results of the general election were a surprise. The incumbent National Party won the most votes (44.5%) and seats but fell short of an overall majority with 56 seats, losing four seats net. Labor surpassed expectations, registering their best performance since 2005, winning 36.9% of the vote and 46 seats, an increase of 14 on 2014. The Green Party lost six seats and saw their vote decline by 4.4-points, coming in fourth, behind New Zealand First (NZF), who won 7.2%. With their 9 seats, they became pivotal to government formation. On October 19, 2017, NZF and Labor announced a minority coalition agreement, facilitated by a confidence and supply agreement with the Green Party. NZF received four cabinet positions including the role of Deputy Prime Minister, which went to its leader Winston Peters. Outgoing Prime Minister Bill English resigned as leader of the Nationals while Jacinda Ardern became Prime Minister, the first Labor PM in nine years, the third female to hold the office, and the youngest Prime Minister since Edward Stafford in 1856. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - NEW ZEALAND (2017) Greaves, L. M., N. K. Sengupta, C. S. Townrow, D. Osborne, C. A. Houkamau, and C. G. Sibley. 2018. "Maori, a politicized identity: Indigenous identity, voter turnout, protest, and political party support in Aotearoa New Zealand." International Perspectives in Psychology 7(3): 155-173. DOI: 10.1037/ipp0000089. Skiling, P., and J. Molineaux. 2017. "New Zealand's minor parties and ER policy after 2017." New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations 42 (2): 110-128. DOI: informit.217979888785144. Vowles, J. 2018. "Surprise, surprise: the New Zealand general election of 2017." Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal of Social Sciences Online 13 (2): 147-160. DOI: 10.1080/1177083X.2018.1443472. Parline database on national parliaments. n.d. "New Zealand House of Representatives". Inter-Parliamentary Union. http://archive.ipu.org/parline-e/reports/2233_E.htm. (Date accessed on October 29, 2019). Website of the New Zealand Electoral Commission. https://www.electionresults.org.nz/electionresults_2017/. (Date accessed: October 29, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NEW ZEALAND (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2020 New Zealand Parliamentary election was held on Saturday, October 17, 2020. The election took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and was delayed by one month after a community transmission outbreak in the North Island city of Auckland. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound effect on daily lives. Polls early in 2020 suggested a close election between the incumbent Labor-led coalition and the main opposition National Party. But with the onset of the pandemic, support for the Labor Party increased, with incumbent Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earning credit for the government's firm response to the crisis. Meanwhile, the opposition Nationals were beset by leadership struggles, with two changes in 2020, after first Simon Bridges, and then Todd Muller, were forced to quit the leadership, with Judith Collins eventually emerging as chief. The turnout among registered voters was 82.2%, increasing nearly three points from the previous election in 2017. The election resulted in a landslide victory for Labor, who won 50% of the popular vote and 65 seats, forming the first Labor single-party majority government since 1946, and the first one-party administration since the adoption of the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) voting system in 1996. The other big winners were the ACT party, who gained nine seats on their 2017 performance, and won 7.6% of the popular vote. The Nationals scored their second-worst result in their history, winning 25.6% of the popular vote, down 9-points on the 2017 score, and only 33 seats. The populist-nationalist party New Zealand First (NZF), part of the incumbent coalition with Labor, had its worst result ever, failing to cross the electoral threshold and losing all its seats. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - NEW ZEALAND (2020) Cox, N. 2020. "The Covid-19 general election in New Zealand." The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs 109 (6): 742-743. DOI: 10.1080/00358533.2020.1849504. Huntington, N., and T. O'Brien. 2021. "Tied to a star: the Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand and the 2020 election." Environmental Politics, 30(4), 669-676. DOI: 10.1080/09644016.2021.1877477. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - NORWAY (2017) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2017 Norwegian Parliamentary election took place on Monday, September 11, 2017. Turnout among registered voters was 78.3%. Although the Labor Party (Ap), led by former Foreign Minister Jonas Gahre Store, won the most votes and seats in the Storting (Norwegian Parliament), the party lost six seats, achieving its worst result since 2001 and its second-worst result since 1924. The non-left parties retained their majority in parliament. Despite losing three seats, the Conservatives (H) remained the largest party of this bloc, winning 25% of the vote and 45 seats. The Center Party (Sp) advanced, winning 10.3% of the vote, up nearly five points on its 2013 performance, and netting an additional nine seats. The Progress Party (FrP), part of the outgoing coalition with the Conservatives, held their own, winning 15.2% of the vote, coming in third place nationally, with 27 seats. On January 14, 2018, the Conservative Party (H), the Progress Party (FrP), and the Liberal Party (V) agreed to form a minority coalition with Erna Solberg, Prime Minister since 2013, remaining Premier. The Christian Democrats (KrP) later voted to join the coalition, marking the first time since 1985 that Norway's right bloc had formed a majority government. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - NORWAY (2017) Aardal, B., and J. Bergh. 2018. "The 2017 Norwegian election." West European Politics 41 (5): 1208-1216. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2017.1415778. Kalsnes, B., and A. O. Larsson. 2021. "Facebook News Use During the 2017 Norwegian Elections Assessing the Influence of Hyperpartisan News." Journalism Practice 15 (2): 209-225. DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2019.1704426. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - PERU (2021) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2021 Peruvian general elections were held on Sunday, April 11, 2021 (first round) with a second round of Presidential elections on Sunday, June 6, 2021. The election saw the election of a new President, and the National Congress. Voter turnout for the Presidential election among registered voters was 70% in Round 1 and 74.6% in Round 2. Turnout was down in both rounds compared with the 2016 elections (12-points for Round 1; 6-points for Round 2). The elections took place after a period of political turmoil. Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of the Peruvians for Change party had won the Presidency in 2016. However, in March 2018, facing impeachment from Congress over corruption allegations involving the bankrupt Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht, he resigned the presidency. He was replaced by Martin Vizcarra, whom Congress impeached in November 2020 on the grounds of "moral incompetence." Initially, the President of Congress and Opposition leader Manuel Merino became acting President. The impeachment of Vizcarra was considered by many to be frivolous and led to nationwide protests, resulting in the resignation of Merino as acting President after six days in office. Due to vacancies in the position of President and Vice President, Francisco Sagasti of the Purple Party (PM) served as President from November 17, 2020, to July 28, 2021, although he did not contest the Presidential elections himself. The incumbent Purple Party (PM) nominated Julio Guzman for the presidency but he performed poorly in Round 1, winning only 2.3% of the vote. Pedro Castillo of the leftist Free Peru (PL) party headed the Round 1 poll, winning 18.9% of the vote with Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the former President and runner up in the 2016 contest, coming second with 13.4% standing for Popular Force (FP). In the runoff election between the two candidates, Pedro Castillo narrowly prevailed over Fujimori, winning 50.1% of the vote. Defeated candidate Keiko Fujimori alleged electoral malpractice at several polling stations. However, most objections were dismissed by the National Electoral Jury and Castillo assumed the presidency on July 28, 2021. In the Congressional elections, the Popular Action (AP), the largest party in the previous legislature, lost nine seats, trailing in fourth place, with 16 seats. Contigo (C), the successor party to former President Kuczynski's Peruvians for Change party failed to win a seat. The party of newly elected President Castillo - Free Peru (PL), became the largest party in Congress with 37 seats and 13.4% of the vote. Popular Force (FP) came second, winning 24 seats. On July 26, 2021, two days before Castillo was sworn in as President, an opposition alliance led by Popular Action (AP) former a coalition to gain control of Congress. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - PERU (2021) Munoz, P. 2021. "Latin America erupts: Peru goes populist. " Journal of Democracy 32 (3): 48-62. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2021.0033. Perez, I. M., and L. S. Vasquez. 2021. "Veracity or Falsehood in the Presidential Elections of Peru and Extreme Parties." DOI: 10.20944/preprints202105.0274.v1. Carrion, J. F. 2022. "Peru: Will Democracy Outlast Political Dysfunction?" In Latin American Politics and Development (pp. 201-222). Routledge. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - POLAND (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Polish parliamentary election was held on Sunday, October 13, 2019 to elect 460 members of the Sejm (Polish lower house) and 100 Senators to the Upper House. Turnout among registered voters was 61.7%, an increase of 11-points on the turnout in 2015, and the highest turnout since the 1989 elections, the elections in the Communist Polish United Workers Party, abandoned its monopoly on power. The Law and Justice Party (PiS), with its electoral alliance United Right, retained office, receiving 43.6% of the vote, an increase of six points, and 235 seats in total. The elections marked the first re-election of PiS led government, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who had replaced Beata Szydio in 2017, re-elected. The alliance's performance marked the highest vote received by a coalition or party since Poland returned to democracy in 1989. Meanwhile, The Civic Coalition alliance, spearheaded by the Civic Platform (PO) party, lost 32 seats compared to its 2015 performance. Coming in third-place was The Left Alliance, receiving 12.6% of the vote and 49 seats. The Polish Coalition Alliance fell back however on its 2015 performance, losing 28 seats and coming in fourth place. While the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) maintained its lower house majority, it lost its majority in the Senate, with the United Right alliance losing 13 seats, largely a decline in Independent representatives supporting this alliance. The incumbent government won 48 seats and remains the largest bloc in the Upper House. The Civic Coalition gained nine seats, winning 43. For the first time since 1989, a Polish government is without a stable majority in the Upper House. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - POLAND (2019) Markowski, R. 2020. "Plurality support for democratic decay: the 2019 Polish parliamentary election." West European Politics, 43 (7): 1513-1525. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2020.1720171. Zuk, P. 2020. "One leader, one party, one truth: public television under the rule of the populist right in Poland in the pre-election period in 2019." Javnost-the public, 27 (3): 287-307. DOI: 10.1080/13183222.2020.1794413. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - PORTUGAL (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Portuguese lower house election took place on Sunday, October 6, 2019. All 230 seats of the Assembly of the Republic, Portugal's unicameral legislature, were at stake. The turnout rate among registered voters was 48.6%, a historic low for lower house elections. Incumbent Prime Minister Antonio Costa (Socialist Party, SP) contested for re-election. Before the election, Costa headed a minority government and relied on external support from the Left Bloc (BE), the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and the Greens (PEV). Costa's governing Socialist Party surpassed the Social Democratic Party (PPD/PSD) to become the strongest party, winning 38.2% of the vote and 108 seats, a plus of 22 seats. In second, the Social Democrats suffered a significant defeat by securing 79 seats (29.2%), thereby losing ten seats. While the Left Bloc retained its position as the third-largest party (10%, 19 seats), the Unitary Democratic Coalition (Communists and Greens) lost five of the previously held 17 seats with a vote share of 6.7% (12 seats). However, the worst defeat was experienced by the People's Party (CDS-PP), which came fifth with a vote share of 4.4% (5 seats), losing almost three-quarters of their representatives in parliament. The 2019 election also resulted in three new parties gaining representation in parliament with one seat each: Enough (CH), Liberal Initiative (IL) and Free (L). Short of a majority in parliament, Antonio Costa (SP) formed a single-party minority government without any formal cooperation agreements, after turning down a proposal from the Left Bloc. Costa officially resumed office as Prime Minister on October 26, 2019. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - PORTUGAL (2019) Fernandes, J. M., and P. C. Magalhaes. 2020. "The 2019 Portuguese general elections." West European Politics 43 (4): 1038-1050. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1702301. Jalali, C., J. Moniz, and P. Silva. 2021. "In the Shadow of the 'Government of the Left': The 2019 Legislative Elections in Portugal." South European Society and Politics 25 (2): 229-255. DOI: 10.1080/13608746.2020.1868702. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - ROMANIA (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 Romanian Parliamentary elections were held on Sunday, December 11, 2016. Romanian voters elected all 329 members of the Lower House (Chamber of deputies) and all 136 seats in the Upper House (Senate). Turnout among registered voters was 39.5%, down 2-points on the 2012 contest, and the lowest turnout in a parliamentary election since the onset of democratic elections in 1990. These parliamentary elections were the first held under a new electoral system adopted in 2015, which saw a return to a more proportional electoral system, last utilized in Romania in 2004. Elections came a year after Prime Minister Victor Ponta (Social Democratic Party, PSD) had resigned from office, forced out by major protests, ignited by a deadly fire in a Bucharest nightclub which killed 64, which saw 25,000 people come on to the streets of Bucharest alone protesting government corruption. Former EU Commissioner Dacion Ciolos became Prime Minister, with the support of both the PSD and main opposition party, the National Liberal Party (PNL), leading a technocrat government until the 2016 elections. Despite discontent with the PSD, under the leadership of Liviu Dragnea, emerged victorious, winning 154 seats and 45.5% of the vote. The party also advanced in the Senate, winning 67 seats, 8 more than previously. The main opposition party, the PNL, suffered a disappointing result, winning 20%, and 69 seats, a loss of 31 on its 2012 performance. Liviu Dragnea, leader of the PSD, had been anticipated to become Prime Minister. But the Romanian President Klaus Werner Iohannis had previously said he would not appoint any individual with previous convictions, which Dragnea had. Dragnea attempted to have his convictions expunged but failed. Eventually the PSD and their coalition partners nominated Sorin Mihai Grindeanu, who was sworn in as Prime Minister on January 4, 2017. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - ROMANIA (2016) Volintiru, Clara. Stefan, George. "Social roots: How Romania's Social Democrats won the 2016 election." LSE Blog, December 21, 2016. https://blogs .lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2016/12/21/social-roots-romania-2016-election/ (Date accessed: December 2, 2022). Dragoman, Dragos. 2020. "'Save Romania' Union and the Persistent Populism in Romania." Problems of Post-Communism 68 (4); 303-314. DOI: 10.1080/10758216.2020.1781540. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SLOVAKIA (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2020 general election in Slovakia took place on Saturday, February 29, 2020 to elect 150 members of the Slovak National Council, the country's unicameral parliament. Turnout in 2020 elections was 65.8% of registered voters, up six-points on the 2016 contest. The election took place just before the COVID-19 pandemic was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 (although, fieldwork for the 2020 study was conducted during the pandemic). The Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OLANO) movement won most seats, winning 53, and 25% of the vote, a gain of 34-seats on its 2016 performance. For the People, a centrist party was a new entrant to parliament, winning 12 seats, and We are Family, won 16 seats, an increase of six, and 8.2% of the vote. Meanwhile, for the outgoing coalition led by Direction - Social Democracy (Smer-SD), it lost a substantial swathe of support. Direction - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) lost 11 seats, and 10-points off its vote share, winning only 38 seats and 18.3% of the vote, its worst performance since 2002, and the first time since 2006 that they had failed to top the poll. For coalition partners the Slovak National Party (SNS), the party lost all its seats, winning only 3.2% of the vote, and failing to enter parliament. On March 13, Igor Matovic, leader of the OLANO movement, announced his party had reached a coalition agreement with We Are Family, Freedom and Solidarity, and For the People. Matovic became Prime Minister of March 21, 2020. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - SLOVAKIA (2020) Haughton, T., M. Rybar, and K. Deegan-Krause. 2021. "Corruption, Campaigning, and Novelty: The 2020 Parliamentary Elections and the Evolving Patterns of Party Politics in Slovakia." East European Politics and Societies and Cultures, Online First. DOI: 10.1177/08883254211012765. Havlik, V., M. Nemcok, P. Spac, and J. Zagrapan. 2020. "The 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia: Steadily Turbulent Change of Direction." Politologicky Casopis 27 (3): 221-234. DOI: 10.5817/PC2020-3-221. Linek, L., and O. Gyarfasova. 2020. "The Role of Incumbency, Ethnicity, and New Parties in Electoral Volatility in Slovakia." Politologicky Casopis 27 (3): 303-322. DOI: 10.5817/PC2020-3-303. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SOUTH KOREA (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 South Korean lower house election was held on Wednesday, April 13, 2016 with all 300 members of the National Assembly up for election. The 2016 elections were the first to be held since the South Korea's Constitutional Court's controversial decision to ban the Unified Progressive Party (UPP) in light of claims concerning its supposed pro-North Korea position and alleged involvement in a plan to overthrow the South Korean state in the event of war with North Korea. The election was also the first nationwide contest since the Constitutional Court mandated electoral reform to ensure that assembly districts and any population disparities did not result in unequal representation. After several rounds of failed negotiations, the governing Saenuri Party (SP) and the major opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), eventually agreed to reforms just before the election. Consequently, registered candidates were allowed to start campaigning for the 2016 election even though the electoral district were unclear. Compared to the 2012 legislative elections, there was a small increase in the number of first-past-the-post districts (up 7 to 253), while the number of seats available in the proportional tier fell by 7 to 47. On a turnout of 58.2% of registered voters, the election unexpectedly marked a significant shift in the South Korean political landscape, with the incumbent Saenuri Party (SP) led by Kim Moo-sung, losing 35 seats, and its parliamentary majority. This resulted in the first hung parliament in South Korea since 2000. Meanwhile, the big winners were Ahn Cheol-soo's People's Party (PP), who entered parliament for the first time by winning 38 seats. In response to the electoral shellacking, Saenuri party leader Kim Moo-sung resigned. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - SOUTH KOREA (2016) Rich, T. S. 2019. "Explaining the Success of the People's Party: An Analysis of South Korea's 2016 Legislative Elections." Asian Politics & Policy 11 (1): 27-42. DOI: 10.1111/aspp.12432. Website of the National Election Commission (NEC) of the Republic of Korea. http://www.nec.go.kr. (Date accessed: April 7, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SWEDEN (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Swedish lower house election took place on Sunday, September 9, 2018. The turnout rate among registered voters was 87.2%. Although the Social Democratic Party (SAP) of incumbent Prime Minister Stefan Lofven defended its traditional position as the strongest party, it received its lowest vote share for over a century (28.3%, 100 seats). Likewise, the SAP's coalition partner, the Greens (MP), only came in seventh with 4.4% and 16 seats, thereby losing more than one-third of its seats in the Riksdag, barely surpassing the 4% electoral threshold. The Left Party (V), that supported the previous red-green minority government was the only member of the left bloc improving its previous election result by gaining 8% of the vote (28 seats). The biggest member of the center-right Alliance, the Moderate Party (M), came in second with 19.8% of the vote but experienced a significant defeat by losing 14 seats (retaining 70 seats). The three smaller Alliance members, the Center Party (8.6%), the Christian Democrats (6.3%) and the Liberals (5.5%) all gained in votes and seats compared to 2014. Finally, the Sweden Democrats (SD), a radical party, reinforced its position as Sweden's third- biggest party by gaining 17.5% of the vote and 62 seats. The SD's electoral performance left Sweden with a hung parliament, with both major blocs falling short of a parliamentary majority. On September 25, 2018, the incumbent Prime Minister Lofven lost a vote of confidence in the Riksdag. After several failed attempts at forming a new government, Lofven was finally re-elected Prime Minister on January 18, 2019. However, controlling only 115 votes in parliament, Lofven fell well short of a parliamentary majority (175 seats). His coalition government with the Greens was enabled by the principle of negative parliamentarism, requiring a majority against the government for an investiture vote to fail. Hence, the 77 abstentions by the Left Party, Center Party and Liberal Party proved decisive for Lofven's re-election. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - SWEDEN (2018) Aylott, N., and N. Bolin. 2019. "A party system in flux: the Swedish parliamentary election of September 2018." West European Politics 42 (7): 1504-1515. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1583885. Oscarsson, H., and J. Stromback. 2019. "Political Communication in the 2018 Swedish Election Campaign." Statsvetenskaplig tidskrift 121 (3): 319-345. https://journals.lub.lu.se/st/article/view/19809/17874. (Date accessed: April 09, 2021). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - SWITZERLAND (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Federal elections in Switzerland were held on Sunday, October 20, 2019. Swiss voters elected all members of both houses of the Federal Assembly. Turnout among registered voters was 45.1%, three percentage points lower than in the 2015 elections. The Swiss People's Party (SVP/UDC) remained the largest party in the National Council with 25.6% of the vote and 53 seats, down from 65 in 2015. Two green parties gained the most seats in the contest: the Green Party (GPS/PES) won 28 seats, 17 more than in 2015, while Green Liberal Party (GLP/PVL) gained nine seats more, winning 16 in total. All of this prompted the media to describe 2019 election results as a "green wave." However, these Green gains had less of an impact on the makeup of the Swiss government. Since World War II, Switzerland's cabinet, the Federal Council, is by convention a permanent grand coalition comprising representatives of the country's major parties and linguistic regions. It comprises seven members and is elected by the parliament for a four-year term after each election. Despite gains for both ecologist parties, neither won a seat on the Federal Council. The Federal Council was made up of two members a piece from the SVP/UCD, two from the Social Democrats (SP/PS), two from the Liberals (FDP/PLR), and one member from the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP/PDC). <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - SWITZERLAND (2019) Bernhard, L. 2020. "The 2019 Swiss federal elections: the rise of the green tide." West European Politics 43 (6): 1339-1349. DOI: 10.1080/01402382.2019.1710687. Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). 2019. "Swiss Confederation, Federal Assembly Elections, 20 October 2019: Needs Assessment Mission Report." https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/switzerland/425009. (Date accessed: January 18, 2020). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TAIWAN (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- General elections in Taiwan were held on Saturday, January 16, 2016. Voters were electing the 14th President of Taiwan and 113 members of Taiwan Legislative body - Yuan. The turnout for Presidential elections was 66.3%. Going into the election, The Kuomintang of China (KMT), one of the major parties in Taiwan, held both the presidency and a parliamentary majority. The run up to the election saw the KMT suffer historic defeats in local elections in November 2014 and the emergence of the White Shirt Movement, after the death of a member of the armed forces under suspicious circumstances, which prompted significant changes to how Taiwan's military handles justice cases. The KMT initially nominated Hung Hsiu-chu for the Presidential elections but eventually replaced him with Party Chair Eric Chu. The 2016 elections marked a significant sea change with Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) elected as the first female Taiwanese President. She won 56.1% of the vote, defeating KMT candidate Eri Chu. It was the DPPs first Presidential win since 2004. The DPP also won a majority in parliament, winning 68 of the 113 seats, and 45.1% of the vote, its best showing ever. Conversely, the KMT posted its worst result ever, winning only 38.7% of the vote, and losing 29 seats. The surprise package of the election was the performance of the New Power Party (NPP), formed in 2015. It came third in the popular vote and won five seats in parliament. On May 20, 2016, Tsai Ing-wen was sworn in as President, with Chen Chien- jen as Vice President. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - TAIWAN (2016) Hsiao, H.-H. M. 2016. "2016 Taiwan Elections: Significance and Implications." Orbis 60(4): 504-514. DOI: 10.1016/j.orbis.2016.08.006. Hsieh, J. F.-S. 2016. "Taiwan's 2016 Elections: Critical Elections?" American Journal of Chinese Studies 23 (1): 9-23. https://www.jstor.org/stable/44289122. (Date accessed: March 24, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TAIWAN (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- General elections in Taiwan were held on Saturday, January 11, 2020. Voters were electing the President of Taiwan and 113 members of Taiwan Legislative body - Yuan. The turnout among registered voters was 75.1%, nine percentage points higher than in the previous election in 2016. The election took place just before the COVID-19 pandemic took root. For decades, the relationship between Taiwan and China has been an important policy issue, and the issue featured heavily during the election campaign. After the 2018 midterms, popular opinion foreshadowed that the Kuomintang Party (KMT) with its pro-China policies would perform strongly in the next general election. However, after protests in Hong Kong against Chinese interference and supposed abandonment of the One Country Two Systems Policy, many Taiwanese expressed concern about closer ties with China. This resulted in the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, of the Progressive Democratic People's Party (DPP), having a decisive victory over Han Kuo-yu and the KMT, and the third-party candidate James Soong. Tsai Ing-wen gained about 57% of the popular vote whilst Han Kuo-yu solely gained 39% and James Soong 4%. The DPP was also successful at winning seats in Taiwan's legislature, the Yuan. In 2016, the DPP won for the first time a comfortable majority over the KMT. In 2020, they could maintain this majority by reaching 61 seats and thus losing 7 seats of their previous 68 seats. The in 2019 newly established Taiwan People's Party (TPP) received more than 5% of the popular vote in the party-list proportional representation, winning 5 seats in the legislature and more important the ability to directly nominate its own Presidential candidate in the 2024 Taiwan Presidential election. The People First Party (PFP) did not win any seats in the 2020 election. Because the party did not pass the 5% hurdle in the proportional representation, the party will not be able to directly nominate a candidate in the next Taiwanese Presidential election. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - TAIWAN (2020) Chang, H. C. H., S. Haider, and E. Ferrara. 2021. "Digital civic participation and misinformation during the 2020 Taiwanese Presidential election." Media and Communication 9 (1): 144-157. DOI: 10.17645/mac.v9i1.3405. Tulun, T. E. 2020. "Taiwan Election 2020: More Ambitious Taiwanese Identity And Developing Constructive Approaches." OSF Preprints uxt62, Center for Open Science. DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/uxt62. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - THAILAND (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Thai general election was held on Sunday, March 24, 2019, to elect all 500 members of the House of Representatives, Thailand's lower house. Turnout among registered voters was 74.9%. The 2019 elections were the first held in the country since the coup d'etat of May 2014, headed by Prayut Chan-o-cha, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Army. Following the dismissal from office of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (Pheu Thai Party, PTP) by the Constitutional Court, the military seized power and established the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as the nation's military governing body. Since the outset of the junta government, Prayut acted as the leader of the NCPO and new Prime Minister. After several delays, the election date was finally set in early 2019. Prayut Chan-o-cha contested the election as incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the newly founded State Power Party (PPRP). Elections were held under the new 2017 constitution, introducing changes to the electoral system. For the 2019 election, 350 of the 500 parliamentary seats were elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies, with the remaining 150 seats being elected through closed-list proportional representation. Voters cast a single fused vote counting towards both segments. Further, the constitution specified that the new Prime Minister was to be elected by the full parliament, i.e., by joint members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, consisting of 250 members appointed by the military. Hence, candidates were required to win 376 out of 750 votes from the combined houses to win Prime Ministership. In adapting to the newly introduced rules that were perceived as disadvantaging opposition parties, the Pheu Thai party led by Sudarat Keyuraphan decided to coordinate campaigns with the affiliated Thai Raksa Chart Party (TRC) to compete against Prayut's PPRP. To increase the chances of winning party-list seats, Pheu Thai ceded candidacies in 100 constituencies to TRC, with prominent members of PTP competing on TRC tickets. The TRC nominated Thai Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya, the King's sister, as their candidate for Prime Minister. At the beginning of March, TRC was dissolved by the Constitutional Court for allowing a Royal Family member to enter politics, following a condemnation of the Princess's candidacy by the King. Prayut Chan-o-cha's State Power Party came out as the strongest party in the election, obtaining a vote share of 23.7% and 116 seats. Although Pheu Thai came only second with 22.2%, it became the strongest group in the lower house by winning 136 district candidate seats. The newly founded Future Forward Party (FFP), also campaigning on an anti-junta stance, came in third with 17.8% of the vote, thereby gaining 81 seats. The conservative Democrat Party (DP), the oldest party in Thailand, became the fourth-strongest party with 11.1% and 53 seats, a disappointing outcome for the party leading to the resignation of its Chair and former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. In the aftermath of the election, Thailand's Electoral Commission, the country's electoral management body, was criticized for announcing official results only weeks after the election. The constitution provided no strict guidance for allocating party-list seats, hence granting the EC some leeway in calculating seat shares. Eventually, the EC decided to reduce the minimum threshold for a parliamentary seat from approximately 71,000 votes as announced initially to around 35,000 votes, thereby increasing the number of parties represented in parliament to 26 at the expense of anti-junta coalition parties. Forging a coalition of 19 political parties, Prayut Chan-o-cha was re-elected as Prime Minister on June 5, 2019, also supported by all members of the Senate. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - THAILAND (2019) Desatova, P., and S, T. Alexander. 2021. "Election commissions and non-democratic outcomes: Thailand's contentious 2019 election." Politics, Online First. DOI: 10.1177/02633957211000978. Ricks, J. 2019. "Thailand's 2019 Vote: The General's Election." Pacific Affairs 92 (3): 443-457. DOI: 10.5509/2019923443. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TUNISIA (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Tunisian parliamentary election took place on Sunday, October 6, 2019. The first round of the 2019 Presidential election was held on September 15, 2019, and the second round on October 13, 2019. The turnout in both elections was considerably lower than in the previous elections, were turnout was higher than 60%. In the parliamentary election, 41.7% of the population eligible to vote turned out to vote. In the Presidential elections, 49% of registered voters participated in the first round and 55% in the second round. In the parliamentary election, the second since the 2011 revolution, the Ennahda Movement gained the most votes (19.6%) and seats (52), although it lost 17 seats on its 2014 performance. The Heart of Tunisia party came second, winning 14.6% of the vote and 38 seats. The Free Destourian Party, founded by former members of Tunisia's pre-revolution ruling party, the Constitutional Democratic Rally, came third in the popular vote, winning 6.6% of the vote, and 17-seats. The other big winners of the election were the People's Movement, a secularist socialist party, who won 4.5% of the vote and 15 seats, an increase of 12 on the 2014 contest. No party or alliance obtained a majority, leading to months of negotiations. A new coalition government consisted of the Ennahda Movement, Tahya Tounes, the People's Movement, Democratic Current, the Tunisian Alternative and several independent party lists was formed in February 2020. In the Presidential contest, the second direct vote since the 2011 revolution, the contest was brought forward after the death of incumbent President Beji Caid Essebsi. Twenty-seven candidates contested the first round but no candidate received a majority, leading to a runoff between the two leading candidates, Kais Saied, a social conservative, and independent supported by the Ennahda Movement; and Nabil Karoui, affiliated with the Heart of Tunisia. Whilst, Kais Saied won only 18% support in the first round, he gained a substantial majority of the vote (73%) in Round 2, defeating opponent Nabil Karoui, who won 27% of the vote. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - TUNISIA (2019) Govantes, B., and M. Hernando de Larramendi. 2021. "The Tunisian transition: a winding road to democracy." The Journal of North African Studies, Online First. DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2021.1963238. Marzo, P. 2019. "Critical junctures, path dependence and Al-Nahda's contribution to the Tunisian transition to democracy." The Journal of North African Studies 24 (6): 914-934. DOI: 10.1080/13629387.2018.1480943. McCarthy, R. 2019. "The politics of consensus: Al-Nahda and the stability of the Tunisian transition." Middle Eastern Studies 55 (2): 261-275. DOI: 10.1080/00263206.2018.1538969. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - TURKEY (2018) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2018 Turkish General Elections took place on Sunday, June 24, 2018. Turkish citizens elected both the Grand National Assembly, Turkey's unicameral parliament, and the President. Elections were initially scheduled for November 2019 but were held early following an agreement between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in April 2018. Further, elections took place under an ongoing state of emergency, which was declared after a failed coup d'etat against the government on July 15, 2016. The 2018 elections also marked a turn in Turkey's political system, as the new Presidential system, which was adopted by a referendum in April 2017, fully came into effect after the election. The 2017 referendum approved major constitutional changes, such as the abolition of the office of the Prime Minister, the strengthening of executive powers of the President, and the reduction of parliamentary oversight. Additionally, constitutional amendments increased the number of members of parliament from 550 to 600, resulting in two additional electoral districts (87 in total) and many districts gaining additional seats. 86.2% of registered voters turned out to vote in the Presidential election. Also supported by the MHP, incumbent President and party leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan (AKP) won the election with 52.6% of the vote in the first round. Following the constitutional amendments adopted by the referendum in 2017, Erdogan became both the head of state and the head of government. For the Parliamentary election, the turnout rate among registered voters was 86.22%. The governing Justice and Development Party (AKP) emerged as the most successful party but lost its absolute majority in parliament, achieving 42.6% of the vote (295 seats). Together with the MHP (11.1%, 49 seats) the AKP formed the "People's Alliance" for the election. The opposition parties Republican People's Party (CHP), Good Party (IYI), and Felicity Party (SP) formed the "Nation Alliance", which together won 33.94% of the vote and 189 seats. The People's Democratic Party (HDP) came in third by winning 11.7% of the vote (49 seats). <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - TURKEY (2018) Carkoglu, A., and K. Yildirim 2018. "Change and Continuity in Turkey's June 2018 elections." Insight Turkey 20 (4): 153-182. DOI: 10.25253/99.2018204.07. Tas, H. 2018. "Contained Uncertainty: Turkey's June 2018 Elections and Their Consequences." GIGA Focus Middle East 04/2018. https://www.giga-hamburg.de/de/system/files/publications/gf_nahost_ 1804_en.pdf. (Date accessed: October 23, 2019). OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). 2018. "Republic of Turkey Early Presidential and Parliamentary Elections 24 June 2018. ODIHR Election Observation Mission Final Report." https://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/turkey/397046?download=true. (Date accessed: October 22, 2019). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - UNITED STATES (2016) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2016 United States general election were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016. Voters elected the President, all 435 members of the Lower House (House of Representatives) and 34 out of 100 members of the Upper House (Senate), as well as many state offices. Incumbent President Barack Obama (Democrat), in office since 2009, was ineligible for re-election because of term limits. Contesting the election for the Presidency were former Secretary of State and First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton, nominated by the Democratic Party (DEM), and businessman and television personality Donald Trump for the Republican Party (GOP). The election campaign was marred by controversy over Hillary Clinton's use of a private e-mail server during her time as Secretary of State and Donald Trump's fitness for office after a series of controversial statements and behaviors were exposed. Turnout among registered voters was 63.8%. Although Clinton won the popular vote, obtaining 48.2% to Donald Trump's 46.1%, Trump won the electoral college, winning 304 to 228 electoral votes. He assumed office on January 20, 2017. Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, the Republicans (GOP) maintained their control, securing 241 seats, while the Democrats (DEM) won 194. In the Senate, the Republicans won 22 of the 34 races, resulting in them holding 52 seats, and a majority in the Senate. It was the first time since 2004 that Republicans controlled the Presidency, the House, and the Senate simultaneously. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - UNITED STATES (2016) Allcott, H., and M. Gentzkow. 2017. "Social Media and Fake News in the 2016 Election." Journal of Economic Perspectives 31 (2): 211-236. DOI: 10.1257/jep.31.2.211. Enli, G. 2017. "Twitter as an arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US Presidential election." European Journal of Communication 32(1): 50-61. DOI: 10.1177/0267323116682802. Lewis-Beck, M., and S. Quinlan. 2019. "The Hillary Hypotheses: Testing Candidate Views of Loss." Perspectives on Politics 17 (3): 646-65. DOI: 10.1017/S153759271800347X. Sides, J., M. Tesler, and L. Vavreck. 2017. "The 2016 U.S. Election: How Trump Lost and Won." Journal of Democracy 28 (2): 34-44. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2017.0022. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - UNITED STATES (2020) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2020 United States general election was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. The elections took place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Voters elected the President, all 435 members of the Lower House (House of Representatives) and 35 out of 100 members of the Upper House (Senate). In the Presidential race, incumbent Republican Donald Trump sought a second term and faced little opposition in winning his party's nomination. In the election, he faced Democratic challenger, former Vice President, Joe Biden. Before the pandemic took root, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump for obstruction of justice and abuse of power in December 2019. The charges related to apparent attempts by President Trump to induce foreign interference in the 2020 elections. The Senate acquitted the President of the charges in February 2020, largely on a party line vote. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many U.S. States introduced the option (or made it easier) to vote early or by mail. However, this was controversial, with President Donald Trump casting doubt on the integrity of mail-in ballots. In the election, turnout among registered voters was 69.5%. Democrat (DEM) Joe Biden and his Vice Presidential running mate Kamala Harris won the election. They won the popular vote by 51% to 47% and the all-important electoral college vote by 306 to 232. President Trump refused to acknowledge the result, sparking protests by Trump supporters nationwide, and legal challenges concerning the counts in several states, none of which succeeded in changing the election outcome. Protests culminated on January 6, 2021, in a rally held and addressed by President Trump in Washington, D.C., to coincide with the U.S. Congress' certification of the election results. After the President's speech, some attendees at the President's rally marched on the U.S. Capitol building, breaking through law enforcement, occupying the building. The sittings of both chambers were suspended as politicians and staff were evacuated from the building. After several hours of a standoff, law enforcement regained control and ejected protestors from the Capitol. Congress resumed shortly after and certified the election result. Five people died during the January 6 protests and the new Congress impeached President Trump for a second time for his actions relating to the events. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office as President and Vice President on January 20, 2021. Elsewhere, the Democrats (DEM) retained control of the House of Representatives, although the Republicans (GOP) gained seats in the election. Control of the U.S. Senate was not decided until January 2021, when the Democrats won two run-off contests in Georgia. With the support of two Independents who caucus with the party, the Democrats gained control of the Senate on the tie-breaking vote of the United States Vice President, Kamala Harris. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - UNITED STATES (2020) Enders, A. M., J. E. Uscinski, C. A. Klofstad, K. Premaratne, M. I. Seelig, S. Wuchty, M. N. Murthi, and J. R. Funchion. 2021. "The 2020 Presidential election and beliefs about fraud: Continuity or change?" Electoral Studies 72. DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102366. Kenny, J., J. Larner, and M. S. Lewis-Beck. 2021. "Candidate authenticity and the Iowa Caucus." Electoral Studies 73. DOI: 10.1016/j.electstud.2021.102390. Pennycook, G., and D. G. Rand. 2021. "Examining false beliefs about voter fraud in the wake of the 2020 Presidential Election." The Harvard Kennedy School Misinformation Review 2 (1). DOI: 10.37016/mr-2020-51. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> ELECTION SUMMARY - URUGUAY (2019) --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2019 Uruguayan general election took place on Sunday, October 27, 2019 to elect the President and the General Assembly. As none of the Presidential candidates received a majority in the first round, a runoff was held on Sunday, November 24, 2019. The turnout in both elections was 90.1%, where voting is compulsory. The elections were held using the Joint Vote Method (also known as Double, Simultaneous Vote) whereby voters cast a single vote for their favorite party that counts for all elected institutions: The Presidency, the Chamber of Representatives, and the Senate. The Presidential elections marked the first defeat of the Broad Front in a Presidential election since 1999. At the same time, Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou became the first National Party President since 1995. In the first round, the Broad Front, led by Daniel Martinez, experienced its worst election results since 1999 but still qualified for the runoff along with Lacalle Pou from the National Party. In a very tight race, the second round results disclosed Lacalle Pou as the winner with 48.88% of the votes, leaving Daniel Martinez, leading with 10% in the first round, with 47.36% of the votes. In the election of the General Assembly, the Broad Front gained most of the popular vote with about 40% leading to 42 seats in the Chamber and 13 seats in the Senate. The National Party won the second-highest number of votes with about 29.7% resulting in 30 seats in the Chamber and ten seats in the Senate. The Colorado Party, led by Ernesto Talvi, won 12.8% of the votes, 13 seats in the Chamber and four seats in the Senate. The newly formed party Open Cabildo earned 11%, 11 seats in the Chamber and four seats in the Senate. The Partido Ecologista Radical Intransigente, Party of the Folk and Independent Party won one seat in the Chamber but no seat in the Senate. The remaining four parties Popular Unity, Green Animalist Party, Digital Party and Worker's Party did not receive enough votes to gain a seat in the Chamber or the Senate. <<>> SOURCES FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE ELECTION - URUGUAY (2019) Fairless, M. 2019. "Uruguay's 2019 elections: will the left hold on to power?" LSE Latin America and Caribbean Blog, October 26, 2019. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2019/10/26/uruguays-2019-elections -will-the-left-hold-on-to-power/. (Date accessed: January 23, 2023). Fairless, M. 2019. "Uruguay election 2019: Lacalle Pou should prevail but will his coalition hold in office?" LSE Latin America and Caribbean Blog, November 23, 2019. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/latamcaribbean/2019/11/23/uruguay-election-2019- lacalle-pou-should-prevail-but-will-his-coalition-hold-in-office/ (Date accessed: January 23, 2023). Meyer, P. J., and A. Carrasquillo Benoit. 2019. "Uruguay's 2019 Elections." Congressional Research Service Insight IN11206, December 9, 2019. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IN/IN11206 (Date accessed: January 23, 2023). Saldias, A. N. 2019. "Exeunt Frente Amplio." Wilson Center, December 17, 2019. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/exeunt-frente-amplio (Date accessed: January 23, 2023). //END OF FILE