Ballot to Talk About

Sam and Chern preview two upcoming snap European elections, one in Slovakia and the other in the Netherlands. How did both of these countries end up with early elections? With their fourth Prime Minister in three and a half years, Slovakia is heading for an early parliamentary election with the return of former Prime Minister Robert Fico on the cards. Who are the main contenders to take over the S...

Sam and Chern turn their attention to Latin America and two presidential elections – the concluded two rounds in Guatemala and the upcoming second round in Ecuador. Bernardo Arévalo became the surprise winner in Guatemala, but how did he overcome the institutional opposition? And why did three-time runner-up Sandra Torres fail to cross the line again? In Ecuador, as Daniel Noboa and Luisa Gonzalez...

Sam and Chern look back at results from Spain's July General Election and look ahead to what's to come in the rest of the 2023 electoral calendar. Is Pedro Sanchez now the favourite to form the next Spanish Government? What happened since the Autonomous Community elections to change the Peoples Party fortunes so significantly? What's next for Alberto Feijoo, and who are the winners and...

This week Sam and Chern discuss the 2022-23 term of the US Supreme Court and some of the most consequential decisions made. How can the Roberts Court be assessed relative to the last term that saw the momentous Dobbs vs Jackson ruling? What are some of the most important and interesting cases? Is this Court a truly Conservative one? And why are the Republican-appointees so seemingly split on votin...

Sam and Chern look back at results from the two recent Greek parliamentary elections that saw the re-election of Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ New Democracy party in emphatic style. Despite comfortably topping the polls in May, why did Mitsotakis trigger an immediate re-run of the election? And how did New Democracy overcome the various scandals and policy issues plaguing them in the last term? What’s next...

This week Sam and Chern discuss recent electoral results in Montenegro before diving into the early days of the 2024 Republican presidential primary in the US. In Montenegro, what has motivated opposition wins in the presidential and parliamentary elections this year? What has caused the dramatic fall in support for long-term leader Milo Đukanović? And what will the eventual Government look like a...

Sam and Chern look back at results from the mammoth set of regional elections in Spain last month and look ahead to the surprise snap General Election in July. Why did the Peoples Party do so well across the Spanish Autonomous Communities? Did the Socialist Party have a worse than expected night? Why did Pedro Sanchez call a snap election in the wake of widespread losses? What will be the impact o...

This week Sam and Chern discuss results from the second round of Turkey’s presidential election, and the provincial election in Alberta, Canada. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has won another five year term following his first ever run-off election, but after the results of the first round, was this inevitable? How did Erdoğan win? What’s next for the Opposition and Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as they head into the...

This week Sam and Chern discuss results from the local elections in Northern Ireland and the new Cabinet in Queensland, Australia. With an election expected late next year, Anastasia Palaszczuk has reshuffled her team in an attempt to reset her government. What are the notable appointments? Will it provide the reset she is looking for? And is it an admission that the government has been struggling...

This week Sam and Chern discuss results from two elections last week – the first round of Turkey’s presidential election, and the momentous parliamentary election in Thailand. As Pita Limjaroenrat seeks to amass the necessary votes to become Prime Minister, Thailand is on the verge of significant societal and political change. Why did Pheu Thai and the Sinawatras fail to top the polls after strong...

This week Sam and Chern look at results from Paraguay’s recent Presidential Election and looks ahead to this month’s bumper day of Regional Elections in Spain. Santiago Peña won the presidency to continue the dominance of the Colorado Party, but why did this buck the recent trend in South America? And why do the Opposition continue to struggle to stop the Colorado Party success? As Spain prepares...

Sam and Chern look back at results from last week’s English Local Elections. As the Conservative Party reels from 1000+ seat losses, is Labour on track for power in 2024? Which Council results best summarise the state of national politics? Are the Liberal Democrat results indicative of big results to come in a General Election? And how should both Keir Starmer and Rishi Sunak respond to this lates...

Sam and Chern look back at results from Finland’s parliamentary election earlier this month. As the tenure of Finland’s youngest Prime Minister comes to an end with Sanna Marin preparing to leave office, how did the National Coalition win the election? Why were Marin’s coalition partners unable to perform well enough to keep them in Office? And as Petteri Orpo begins coalition talks, how likely is...

This week’s episode looks back on results from two state elections: Prince Edward Island, Canada and New South Wales, Australia. In Prince Edward Island, Dennis King’s Progressive Conservatives put in a dominant performance to retain Office. How did they win such a decisive victory? And despite reclaiming Official Opposition status, how can the Liberals regroup and become competitive again?   In N...

This week’s episode looks at the election of Humza Yousaf as the new leader of the Scottish National Party and the legacy of Nicola Sturgeon. Sam and Chern unpack the results, and discuss what may be next for the SNP as they begin a period without Salmond or Sturgeon at the helm for the first time in 20 years. How did Humza Yousaf win the election? And how did he fend off close rival Kate Forbes?...

This week’s episode looks ahead to next week’s New South Wales State Election which sees the incumbent Coalition Government looking to win a fourth term in office. As Dominic Perrottet and Chris Minns enter their first campaigns as leaders of the Liberal and Labor parties, Sam and Chern unpack the campaign so far and look at where in the state this race will be won or lost. What have been the main...

This week’s episode looks at results from Nigeria’s Presidential Election and last weekend’s parliamentary election in Estonia. Bola Tinubu came out victorious in Nigeria, extending the APC’s rule, but the campaign was dominated by a three-candidate contest and the surge of support for Labour Party candidate Peter Obi. What motivated Bola Tinubu’s victory? What was the driver of Peter Obi’s unlike...

This week’s episode looks at results from two sets of state elections – the German capital of Berlin and the three Northeastern Indian states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Berlin was conducting a court-enforced repeat of its 2021 state election, and the CDU topped the polls for the first time since 1999. How did the CDU manage to make such significant gains? Did the fact it was a rerun impac...

This week’s episode looks at Rishi Sunak’s minor Cabinet reshuffle, and also at President Joe Biden’s third State of the Union Address. Rishi Sunak has found a replacement to Nadhim Zahawi, but also took the opportunity to restructure the machinery of Government and shake-up his Cabinet. Was this reshuffle surprisingly broad? What will these departmental reconfigurations mean for policy delivery?...

This week’s episode looks back at results from the Czech Presidential election, and also unpacks Chris Hipkins’ first Cabinet as New Zealand Prime Minister. In Czechia, Petr Pavel decisively defeated former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, but after the second defeat in a row, is this now game over for the ANO 2011 leader? How did Pavel pull off a decisive victory in the second round? And what will be...

This week’s episode looks ahead to the year 2023 in UK politics, assessing the state of the main parties and the elections they will be facing in 2023. Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party has begun the year battling a handful of personnel scandals, so can the party turn it around? Is there a narrow path to 2024 victory for the incumbent Government? And as Labour continues is commanding lead in the op...

This week’s episode looks ahead to the year 2023 in politics and elections, discussing the polls to look out for and the themes we might be talking about as the year rolls on. 2023 has numerous big elections in store in Spain, Argentina, Turkey, New Zealand and Nigeria to name just a few. This week, Sam and Chern preview the electoral calendar, picking out some highlights and previewing some stori...

The first episode of 2023 takes a look back at the turbulent US Speaker of the House election and discusses the state of Irish politics as the pre-arranged Taoiseach transition takes place. Kevin McCarthy was finally elected as the next Speaker of the House after nearly 4 days and 15 ballots, making it the longest Speaker election since 1859. How did McCarthy eventually manage to get enough holdou...

The last episode of 2022 takes a look back at the recent political turmoil in Peru, and looks back at results from the final Indian state elections of the year. As Peru prepares for its sixth Prime Minister of 2022 and its second President in just over a year, Sam and Chern ask whether the country is governable in the short-term? Can Dina Boluarte turn things around? And what is next for the main...

This week’s episode takes a look at the results from the Georgia Senate run-off election and takes a big look back at 2022 in politics. Raphael Warnock has beaten Herschel Walker in Georgia and wins his first full term as Senator. How did Warnock manage to win his second election in two years? Did the shorter campaign make any difference? Will the 51st Democratic seat make a material difference on...