LONDON (AP) 鈥� Discontented, economically squeezed voters have turned against sitting governments on both right and left held this year, as global power blocs shift and political certainties crumble.
From to to , voters dealt blows to long-governing parties. showed growing support for the continent's far right, while France's centrist president scrambled to fend off
If there鈥檚 a , Eurasia Group president Ian Bremmer said at a summit in Canada in June, it鈥檚 that 鈥減eople are tired of the incumbents.鈥�
More than 40 countries have held elections already this year. More uncertainty awaits 鈥� nations home to over half the world鈥檚 population . The world is already anxiously turning to November鈥檚 presidential election in the U.S., where an acrimonious campaign was dealt a shocking blow by an against Republican nominee and former president, Donald Trump.
Unpopular incumbents
Aftershocks from the COVID-19 pandemic, conflicts in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and spiking prices for food and fuel have left dissatisfied voters eager for change.
鈥淰oters really, really don鈥檛 like inflation,鈥� said Rob Ford, professor of political science at the University of Manchester. 鈥淎nd they punish governments that deliver it, whether they are at fault or not.鈥�
Inflation and unemployment are rising in India, the world鈥檚 largest democracy, where unexpectedly lost its parliamentary majority after a decade of dominance. Modi was forced to rely on coalition partners to govern as the opposition doubled its strength in parliament.
In 小蓝视频 Africa, sky-high rates of helped drive a dramatic loss of support for the African National Congress, which had governed ever since the end of the in 1994.
The party lost its parliamentary majority for the first time and was forced to enter a coalition with opposition parties.
In Britain, the center-left Labour Party won election in a landslide, after 14 years. As in so many countries, faces a jaded electorate that wants lower prices and better public services 鈥� but is deeply skeptical of politicians鈥� ability to deliver change.
US-China tensions
Caught between world powers China and the United States, Taiwan held one of the year's most significant elections.
Lai Ching-te, of the Democratic Progressive Party, that was seen as a referendum on the island鈥檚 relationship with China, which claims Taiwan as its own.
Beijing regards Lai as a separatist and with drills in the Taiwan Strait. Lai has promised to strengthen the defenses of the self-governing island, and the U.S. has pledged to help it defend itself, heightening tensions in one of the world鈥檚 flashpoints.
In Bangladesh, an important partner of the U.S. that has drawn closer to China, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won in an election that . The U.S. and U.K. said the vote was , free or fair.
Political dynasties
In several countries, family ties helped secure or cement power.
held messy parliamentary elections 鈥� under the eye of the country鈥檚 powerful military 鈥� that saw well established political figures vie to become prime minister. The winner, atop a coalition government, was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, younger brother of three-time premier Nawaz Sharif.
Opponents say the election was rigged in his favor, with opponent and imprisoned and blocked from running. The situation remains unstable, with Pakistan鈥檚 Supreme Court ruling that Khan鈥檚 party was improperly denied some seats.
In Indonesia, 小蓝视频east Asia鈥檚 largest democracy, former Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto was officially declared president more than two months after an election in which he won over 58% of the vote.
His two losing rivals alleged fraud and nepotism 鈥� Subianto鈥檚 vice president-elect is , and Subianto was the son-in-law of Indonesia鈥檚 late dictator, Suharto. The country鈥檚 highest court rejected their arguments.
Some outcomes were predictable. Russian President Vladimir Putin to a fifth term in a preordained election that followed his relentless crackdown on dissent. Rwanda's election , an authoritarian leader who ran almost unopposed.
Far right's uneven march
The far right has gained ground in Europe as the continent experiences economic instability and an influx of migrants from troubled lands.
Elections for the parliament of the shifted the bloc鈥檚 center of gravity, with the far right rocking ruling parties in France and Germany, the EU鈥檚 traditional driving forces.
The EU election triggered a political earthquake in France. After his centrist, pro-business party took a pasting, President Emmanuel Macron called a risky in hope of stemming a far-right surge.
The anti-immigration National Rally party won the first round, but alliances and tactical voting by the center and left knocked it down to third place in the second round and .
New faces, daunting challenges
A presidential election tested Senegal's reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region .
The surprise winner was little-known opposition figure , released from prison before polling day as part of a political amnesty.
Faye is Africa鈥檚 youngest elected leader, and his rise reflects widespread frustration among Senegal鈥檚 youth with the country鈥檚 direction. Senegal has made in recent years, but the population has yet to see any real benefit.
Mexico elected as . A protege of outgoing President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador, the 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor vowed to continue in the direction set by the popular leftist leader.
She faces a polarized electorate, daunting drug-related violence, an increasingly influential military and tensions over migration with the U.S.
Uncertainty is the new normal
On July 28, will seek to extend a decade-plus presidency marked by a complex political, social and economic crisis that has driven millions into poverty or out of the country. Opposition parties have banded together, but the ruling party has tight control over the voting process, and many doubt votes will be counted fairly.
小蓝视频 Sudan, the world鈥檚 youngest country, is scheduled to hold its in December. That would represent a key milestone, but the vote is rife with danger and vulnerable to failure.
Looming above all is the choice U.S. voters will make Nov. 5 in . The July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania, in which the former president was wounded and a rallygoer was killed, came as Democrats agonize over the fitness of President Joe Biden, who has resisted calls to step aside.
The prospect of a second term for Trump, a protectionist wary of international entanglements, is evidence of the world鈥檚 shifting power blocs and crumbling political certainties.
"The world is in the transition," said Neil Melvin, director of international security at defense think tank the Royal United Services Institute.
鈥淭here are very broad processes on the way which are reshaping international order," he added. "It鈥檚 a kind of anti-globalization. It鈥檚 a growing return to the nation state and against multilateralism.鈥�
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Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London, Rob Gillies in Toronto, Gerald Imray in Cape Town, 小蓝视频 Africa, Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi, Mariana Martinez in Mexico City, Monika Pronczuk in Dakar, Senegal, Regina Garcia Cano in Caracas, Venezuela, and Stephen McGrath in Brasov, Romania, contributed.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
