There were so many elections planned in the world in 2024 that twelve months ago it was said that it was the year of democracy, the moment in which the destiny not only of those countries, but of the future of representative democracy would be elucidated. That which, with all its defects, allows a Government to be elected at the polls every four years. The Financial Times has done a recount and The result shows a pessimistic result. The party in power lost votes in the twelve that were held in Western countries. It is something that has not happened in more than a century. The phenomenon occurred even in states with an authoritarian government, such as India and Türkiye. It remains to be seen who has benefited from this trend.
What the FT calls “centrist” parties – by which it means conservatives, social democrats and liberals – saw their support reduced in most countries, with more radical formations benefiting, especially on the extreme right. It should be noted that almost all of them experienced a time of high inflation, which is a factor that is usually harmful to those in power. Rightly or wrongly, public opinion tends to believe that when prices get out of control it must be the Government’s fault. Something must have been done wrong.
#trust #democracy #lost
