In 2020, millions of people around the world elected presidents and heads of government. Elections were held in Taiwan, Singapore, Myanmar, the United States and other countries.
In the coming 2021, residents of a number of states will also come to polling stations. And their voices will probably change the political situation on a regional and continental scale.
Ethiopia
Voting was supposed to take place in August 2020. But due to the pandemic, the elections were postponed. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last fall reported an attack by supporters of the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Tigray on a federal military base in Tigray state. The country has declared a state of emergency. Abiy was once considered the leader who brought stability and prosperity to Ethiopia. In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. But, according to experts, it is sliding towards autocracy, signing orders for the arrest of opposition leaders and suppressing political freedoms.
Ecuador
Residents of this country will go to the polls to elect a new president and the National Assembly. Acting President Lenin Moreno decided not to run for a second term. He was criticized for his brutal crackdown on protests that erupted in October 2019 after the refusal to subsidize gasoline prices. Polls showed that almost 67% of the country's population is not interested in the upcoming elections. And another 60% said they would not vote at all if it were not mandatory.
Netherlands
The Dutch will go to the polls to elect 150 members of the lower and more influential of the country's two legislative chambers. Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his People's Party for Freedom and Democracy have been in power for 10 years and are expected to show another strong result.
Peru
They will elect a new president, 130 members of Congress and 25 regional governors. The country hopes for political stability. Last month, 3 different presidents changed in Peru in one week! The country has a weak party system, and many voters do not support any of the current candidates.
Iraq
Residents of the country will vote ahead of schedule, a year ahead of schedule, for a new parliament called the Council of Representatives. Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi stepped down in 2019 to protest political corruption and the government's failure to put Iraqi interests first.
Iran
The law restricts President Hassan Rouhani's right to run for a second term. Now he is trying to do his best to get the United States back to the nuclear deal.
Zambia
Edgar Lungu, president of the ruling Patriotic Front party, is running for a third term. His main opponent is Hakainde Hichilema. In the meantime, they compete to see who is better equipped to restore the country's economy.
Hong Kong
Elections to the city's Legislative Council have been postponed due to the pandemic. Many viewed this decision as another step by China to suppress the movement, which wants to preserve the independence of Hong Kong from the Celestial Empire.
FRG
The Germans will elect the first government in 16 years, which will not be headed by Angela Merkel. She is retiring.
Nicaragua
75-year-old President Daniel Ortega intends to stay for a fourth consecutive term. He controls most of the levers of power in the country.
Israel
This will be the fourth early parliamentary elections in the past two years – a record for the Jewish state. Residents of the country hope that Knesset members can finally form a viable government.
