EQUALITY? FREEDOM? FAIRNESS? ELECTIONS IN 2024

So many elections!

Two billion people are eligible to vote this year, and more than 60 countries will be holding elections. The freedom and fairness of these elections will vary. The results of some of them are in the bag already, before even a single vote is cast, and others will take place in dangerous and unpredictable circumstances. Two major elections have already taken place this year. In Bangladesh, following mass arrests of opposition activists, the unsurprising result was to keep the sitting premier for another year. Taiwan also voted to keep their president, but citizens did so in the full knowledge that this would incur the wrath of China which insisted that ‘the motherland will eventually be reunified’. Ukraine is due to hold a presidential election on March 31st this year, but their state of martial law may lead to a postponement. Other elections, from Mexico to Somaliland and from Tuvalu to Russia are all scheduled for this year.  And for those of us living in Britain, our eyes are most likely to be fixed on what happens here in the UK, though the presidential election in the United States probably won’t escape our attention.

‘Elect’ - verb, noun, adjective or all three?

It’s an interesting word, first used in English in the 15th century, and derived from the Latin. Its use as a noun, as in ‘The Elect’ often has religious significance, meaning chosen by God.  Donald Trump recently appeared to be casting himself as one of The Elect when a video on his Truth Social site featured a clip from an old sermon intoning:

And on June 14, 1946, God looked down upon his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker’. To which a voiceover adds ‘So God gave us Trump’.

The word appears in religious texts, including a mysterious reference to ‘The Lady Elect’ in the second epistle of John in the New Testament. Given the gender balance in most current governments, a few more ‘Ladies Elect’ would be very welcome.

Democracy?

Totalitarian dictatorships frequently use ‘Democratic’ (another interesting word) when describing themselves. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is of course, no such thing. India, which also has an election this year, claims to be the ‘mother of democracy’, but although it’s not quite like Russia or China, erosion of minority rights and the suppression of civil liberties have been significant. The ruling BJP party takes a very high proportion of electoral funds each year, and some writers are now beginning to describe India as an Ethnocracy or Ethnic Democracy, highlighting the pro Hinduism focus and the violation of secular principles. Narendra Modi is also in the league of ‘Strong Man’ leaders alongside the likes of Hungary, Turkey, Belarus, Russia, and, potentially, the United States, where Nikki Haley, an experienced female politician, is simply dismissed as a ‘delusional’.

In 1973, Freedom House (freedom house.org) first published a comprehensive assessment of political rights and civil liberties. At that point, only 44 countries out of 148 were classified as ‘Free’. More recent figures classify 84 out of 195 as Free. There has been some progress, but it’s worth noting too that there have been 17 consecutive years of global decline in freedoms and that there are particularly serious issues with freedom in the media.

Apathy, engagement, cynicism, enthusiasm, obsession, despair?

Voters across the world vary dramatically in their attitudes to elections. For example, The Guardian recently quoted Vivi Lin, a 25-year-old Taiwanese student who travelled back home from the UK to vote. She said:

‘It was just such a miraculous moment. I voted along with my grandma and grandpa. I’m the first generation of a democratic Taiwan. Growing up, my grandparents and parents were always telling me how precious the freedom and democracy we have right now is.’

 This enthusiasm and commitment are in stark contrast to the world-weary hopelessness that so many people in Britain are feeling and expressing at the moment. Phrases like:

They’re all the same. What’s the point? I can’t be bothered to vote any more.

reflect the mood of the moment, and in a recent New Statesman article, Andrew Marr noted:

 ‘a general, quiet walking away from political engagement in this most electorally important of years……. “the shrug of the shoulder”. Below the surface, the most dangerous current, is the morale of those who barely notice politics at all’

Is it possible to address and challenge this mood of apathy and encourage voters to engage with the issues and believe that a vote really matters? 

Women voters

A recent poll conducted by the Women’s Budget Group and YouGov has discovered that a quarter of women in the UK are undecided about their voting intentions in the forthcoming general election, leading to a conclusion that women’s concerns are not being sufficiently addressed by any of the major parties.

‘Women represent over half of eligible voters’ said Dr Zubaida Haque of the Women’s Budget Group. ‘The fact that a quarter of women are currently undecided about which way to vote should make parties sit up and notice.’

So, is it time to shout ever more loudly? Milton Keynes Fawcett Group has been thinking about the issues that face women as we move towards elections. There are some good examples of manifestos for women which we have been looking at closely. More to come on this in future blogs, but if you have ideas and suggestions, please email us at miltonkeynesfawcettgroup@gmail.com

The inspiring words of Wilma Mankiller

‘Look forward. Turn what has been done into a better path’

It’s always a joy to come across an interesting woman who offers us an example of resilience and hope against the odds. One woman who would have nicely fitted the role of The Lady Elect (see earlier) is a woman with the rather splendid, if scary, name of Wilma Mankiller. She was an activist and social worker who was elected Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985. So, let’s end with some more of her words:

'Prior to my election, young Cherokee girls would never have thought that they might grow up to become chief.

The secret of our success is that we never, never give up'.