2024 is an election year of monumental importance. Tensions are high this year, and it doesn’t take any more than a cursory look at a TV screen or newspaper to tell. But this isn’t limited to the United States: at least 64 countries and the EU will all have elections this year, affecting most of the world population. Several of these have even happened already, including these notable examples.

In January Taiwan elected Lai Ching-te of the Democratic People’s Party (DPP) as President. The DPP, which has been in government in Taiwan since 2016, represents a Taiwanese nationalist ideology, advocating for a Taiwan independent of China. This is in contrast to the Kuomintang (KMT), which continues to advocate for Chinese reunification under the “one country, two systems” framework. This election result demonstrates Taiwan’s continuing shift away from China and old ideas of Chinese nationalism, and towards the development of a unique Taiwanese national identity.

Pakistan’s general elections were held on the 8th of February and were marred by controversy. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was the clear victor, winning more seats than any other party; however, the party lost a number of previously held seats to rivals. Accusations of vote-rigging and other allegations of unfairness have been lodged by many internationally, including the United States. Perhaps most glaringly, Khan himself was recently convicted and jailed for secrecy and corruption charges in what PTI representatives have characterized as politically motivated “kangaroo courts.” This comes after Khan and his party fell out with the nation’s highly politically influential military establishment, contributing to the years of instability that have plagued Pakistan as of late.

Similar controversies to those of Pakistan were present in nearby Bangladesh’s January general elections. The Awami League, the political party led by incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, swept the elections, winning 224 of the 350 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, the Bangladeshi legislature. Hasina’s government, which has been characterized by independent news sources as authoritarian and autocratic, has removed many of the protections previously in place to ensure electoral fairness, such as the requirement that a non-partisan caretaker government be formed to administer elections. This, alongside a general crackdown on political opposition, caused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the Awami League’s main opposition, to boycott the election, as they did in 2014 and 2018 prior. Overall, the election as a whole has been described by many international organizations and Western governments, including the US State Department, as unfair.