Ballot to Talk About

This special bonus episode continues our dive into the upcoming German Federal Election, where Germans will be going to the polls to elect the next Bundestag and indicate their preferred successor to Angela Merkel as Chancellor. It provides an update on the state of the race and a special look at the parties who may not be providing the next Chancellor, but who are waiting in the wings to be poten...

This week's episode talks all things Scandinavia, looking back at the election results in last week’s Norwegian poll and looking ahead to next weekend’s Icelandic parliamentary elections. In Norway, Erna Solberg’s Conservative coalition was defeated and Jonas Gahr Støre looks set to replace her as Prime Minister, but with whom? The Socialist Left and Centre Party have already begun coalition talks...

This special bonus episode continues our dive into the upcoming Canadian Federal Election, where Justin Trudeau is attempting to regain a majority government. It provides an update on the state of the race and a special look at the parties which could cause Trudeu some problems – the Greens and the Bloc Quebecois. With under a week to go, Sam and Chern take a look at the remaining parties as the c...

The coverage of the manic month of national parliamentary elections continues with a look at the upcoming German federal election, where the German public is searching for the replacement for Angela Merkel as Chancellor. Will it be Olaf Scholz, Armin Laschet or Annalena Baerbock? With just over two weeks to go until polling day in Germany, Sam and Chern take a look at the runners and riders to suc...

The coverage of the manic month of national parliamentary elections continues with a look at the upcoming Norwegian parliamentary election, where Erna Solberg is looking to become the first Prime Minister to win three consecutive terms in office. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, who is going to come out on top? With just over a week to go until polling day in Norway, Sam and Chern take the opportu...

We are back and getting ready for a huge month of elections all over the world! This week's episode takes a look at the upcoming Canadian Federal Election, triggered in the past few weeks by Justin Trudeau attempting to regain a majority government. It also takes a look at the results from Nova Scotia where Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative Party pulled off a huge upset in the Canadian provin...

This week's episode is all about reshuffles, focussing on major Cabinet reshuffles that have recently taken place in Spain and India. Narendra Modi has expanded his Cabinet once again and has boosted representation of Uttar Pradesh citizens in anticipation of next year’s state elections. Was this reshuffle an admission that the Government has got things wrong? What is the purpose of Amit Shah’s ex...

This week's episode focusses on some recent developments in the United States, assessing the closing cases of the 2020-21 Supreme Court session and discussing Eric Adams’ victory in the New York City Democratic Primary. The new Conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court finished the latest session with some rulings on voting rights, non-profit donors and a third look at the Affordable Care Ac...

This week's Olympic-themed episode focusses on the politics and parties of Japan, as the cauldron is lit to kickstart the controversial postponed 2020 Games in Tokyo. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s Liberal Democratic Party is suffering a backlash for giving the Games the green light, and the new prominent opposition party – the Constitutional Democratic Party – made gains in this month’s Tokyo pr...

This week's episode focusses on two elections held last weekend in Eastern Europe – parliamentary elections in Moldova and Bulgaria. In Moldova, recently-elected President Maia Sandu’s PAS triumphed with the largest vote share in Moldovan history, gaining the party’s first ever majority. What has been key to Sandu’s appeal? Is there a route back for the socialist and communist tradition after this...

This week's episode concludes our European-themed month to mark the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of one of the finalists - Italy. It also includes an update on Northern Ireland leadership a week on from Jeffrey Donaldson becoming the third DUP leader in two months, and the change of leadership in the Australian National Party, with Barnaby Joyce reclaim...

This week's episode continues our European-themed month to mark the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of France. It also includes analysis of the UK parliamentary by-election results in Batley and Spen where Kim Leadbeater and Keir Starmer’s Labour Party saw off a strong challenge from the Conservatives and George Galloway. A week on from their 2021 regional...

This week's episode continues our European-themed month to mark the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of Austria. It also includes analysis of the election results in Armenia where Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party once again won a majority in the aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Additionally, it features a review of the Mongolian presidential ele...

This week's episode continues our European-themed month to mark the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of Finland. It also includes analysis of the election results in Mexico where Lopez Obrador’s MORENA party was denied the supermajority it so craved. Additionally, it features a review of the Chesham and Amersham by-election where the Liberal Democrat candid...

This week's episode continues our European-themed month to mark the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of Belgium. It also includes analysis of the election results in Peru where Pedro Castillo looks like he will become the next President, defeating three-time candidate Keiko Fujimori. Additionally, it features a review of the results in Saxony-Anhalt where t...

This week's episode kicks of a European-themed month to mark the start of the postponed 2020 Euros tournament by talking about the parties and politics of Denmark. It also includes analysis of the election results in Cyprus where Nicos Anastasiades’ DISY and other pro-solution parties only just scraped a majority of votes. It also features an update from Israel where Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett...

This week's special extended episode takes a look at this year's Indian State elections across Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and takes a wider look at the state of the two big Indian parties. It also includes a review of the recent Mark Drakeford and Nicola Sturgeon cabinet reshuffles, as well as the changing of leadership in Northern Ireland's Unionist parties as Arlene F...

In this slightly extended final of a three-part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results, Sam and Chern take a closer look at the results across England, as the Conservatives continued their assault on the former Red Wall, and romped to victory in the Hartlepool by-election. This episode also takes a look at the aftermath of the state election results in Tasmania in Australia, and...

In the second of a three-part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results, this episode takes a closer look at the Scottish Parliament results, as the SNP fell just one seat short of a second majority. This episode also takes a look at the removal of Liz Cheney as the House Republican Conference Chair, and what this says about the state of the US Republican Party in the post-Trump ag...

This week’s episode looks back on the year 2021 in politics, discussing contenders for the latest prestigious Ballot Talk Awards. After a year of dramatic and consequential elections, Sam and Chern look back at key moments, key figures and key themes that defined the political year and make their picks for the most notable. Which election was the most consequential this year? What result took us m...

In the first of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional election results this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Wales, as Labour equals their best ever performance in the Senedd. This episode also reviews the national election results in Albania, where Edi Rama led his party to a third consecutive majority, and last week's regional results in Madrid, where Isabel Diaz A...

In the third and final edition of a three part series previewing the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Scotland, with a focus on the race to control the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. This episode also reviews the results of this week's Tasmanian state elections in Australia as Peter Gutwein has likely led his Liberal Party to a third succ...

In the second of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across Wales, with a focus on the race to control the Senedd. This episode also previews next week's Tasmanian state elections in Australia, and in the week where two of the top contenders to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor of Germany were announced, it takes a look a...

In the first of a three part series on the 2021 UK local and regional elections, this epsiode takes a closer look at the races across England, with a special preview for the parliamentary by-election in Hartlepool. In a week where Guillermo Lasso upset the Correa-backed candidate in Andres Arauz in Ecuador, and Pedro Castillo suprised pundits by topping the polls in Peru, it also includes a review...

As the UK gears up for the local and regional elections series, this week's episode takes a special look at the one area of the UK not holding elections this cycle - Northern Ireland. It also includes a a review of last week's Bulgarian elections as Boyko Borissov looks to fight for his role as Prime Minister to continue, and it looks at the Biden Cabinet confirmation process, discussing why with...