In India, a powerful leader wins another term but sees his party’s majority vanish.
In South Africa, the governing party is humbled by voters for the first time since the end of apartheid.
In Britain, a populist insurgent barges into an election that is shaping up to be a crushing defeat for the long-ruling Conservatives.
If there is a common thread halfway through this global year of elections, it is a desire by voters to send a strong signal to the powers that be — if not quite a wholesale housecleaning, then a defiant shake-up of the status quo.
For years, populist and strongmen leaders have chipped away at democratic institutions, sowing doubts about the legitimacy of elections, while social media has swamped voters with disinformation and conspiracy theories.
Persons:
Claudia Sheinbaum, Andrés Manuel López Obrador
Locations:
India, South Africa, Britain, Mexico