Illustration by Anson Chan.
2024 Will Be the Biggest Election Year in World History
And That’s Not Good News for Democracy
The latest global reports show democracy contracting across every region of the world. For six straight years, more countries have experienced net declines in democratic processes than net improvements …
This Korean Election Shows How Fragile Our Democracy Is
Our Economic Culture Has Isolated Us. Our Politics Have Divided Us. Now We’re Backsliding
More than three decades after South Korea’s democratic transition, we thought we had consolidated our democratic progress. We imagined that our democracy was strong and would grow stronger.
We are learning we were wrong …
In Ukraine, No Election Doesn’t Mean the Electorate Is Happy
President Zelensky Is an International Star. At Home, It’s More Complicated
Seeking a Politics of Solidarity in Putin’s Russia
In a Country Where Nothing Changes, a 23-Year-Old Finds Hope Outside the Electoral System
On the Campaign Trail With a Russian Antiwar Candidate
Thousands of People Came Out to Support Boris Nadezhdin’s Presidential Run. They Refuse to Lose Hope
I spent 12 days collecting signatures. Initially, it was slow: only a few individuals were willing to sign in support of Nadezhdin. But as the submission deadline approached, there was a significant surge in participation, particularly among young people, ages 18 to 25 …
Recap: One Nation … Under Parliament?
The Zócalo and Los Angeles Times Event ‘Would Parliamentary America Have More Fun?’ Considers a U.S. Governed by Multi-Party Coalitions
Watch the program: Would Parliamentary America Have More Fun?
An editorial and public programs series about voters’ experiences around the world in 2024
Featuring constitutional law professor and author Maxwell L. Stearns and Los Angeles Times columnist Erika D. Smith …
An Election Without Artists
The Outgoing Indonesian President’s Campaigns Inspired Songs, Paintings, and Poems. Creatives’ Silence in This Race Speaks Volumes
Will Indonesia’s Youth Install a Political Dynasty?
On TikTok, Gen Z Voters See the Candidates as Father Figures and Kindly Uncles. They Don’t Get the Whole Story
President Suharto’s New Order regime was a dictatorship in which he often liked to refer to the Indonesian nation as a “family” with himself at the helm—a patriarchal state …
Pakistan’s General Election Is a Generals’
Election
Since the Country’s Founding, the Military Has Ruled Over Civilian Affairs—This Vote Won’t Change That
In Pakistan, the scramble for power among the political parties is like an invitation for bids from the Army. Political parties in Pakistan have internalized that appeasing the military is the only sure way to access power corridors …
Can a Third of My Neighbors Really Be Far-Right Extremists?
I Joined a United Germany When the Wall Fell. Now I Fear for Its Future
In Dhaka, the Roadblocks to Democracy Are Roadblocks
As the Election Looms in Bangladesh, Blockades Are More Than a Metaphor for the Obstacles Facing Voters
I Bought a Pricey Plane Ticket in Hopes of Voting for a United Taiwan
But Now There’s No Viable Party I Can Support
Taiwan’s early election—on January 13—presented a conundrum. That’s a time of year I tend to spend with grandkids in the Bay Area. But I very much wanted to see a change at the top of the Taiwanese government …