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Asia and the Pacific
Western Asia

Nayib Bukele is reelected as El Salvador’s president

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Past

On 4 February, Nayib Bukele was re-elected as president by 84.6 per cent of cast votes. This is more than ten times the number of votes won by the second-place candidate.  The Tribunal Supremo Electoral carried out a recount of 30 per cent of presidential ballots and all legislative votes, due to significant glitches in its results reporting software and website. Voter turnout was 52.6 per cent.  

Bukele ran for a second term thanks to a 2021 Supreme Court decision that bypassed a constitutional prohibition on consecutive re-election.  

Former PM Alexander Stubb wins run-off presidential election

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Past

On 11 February, Alexander Stubb from the center-right National Coalition Party (NCP) won 51.6 per cent of the vote in the run-off against Pekka Haavisto, who received 48.4 per cent. Haavisto is a member of the centre-left Green Party but ran as an independent candidate. Stubb previously served as Prime Minister from 2014 to 2015, as well as Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, and a Member of the European Parliament.

Belarus holds parliamentary and local elections

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Past

Belarus held parliamentary elections on 25 February for 110 seats in the lower house and 12,000 seats on local councils. The opposition boycotted or was refused registration, meaning all 110 MPs are members of parties loyal to President Alyaksandr Lukashenka. 36 of 110 MPs in the incoming parliament are women, down from 44 in the previous parliament. The Election Commission reported 73 per cent turnout, which could not be independently verified. No independent election observers were present.

Cambodia holds senatorial elections

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Past

Cambodia held elections for the upper house of parliament on 25 February. Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) won 55 of 58 contested seats, down from 58 seats in the previous parliament (four additional seats are appointed, two by the King and two by the National Assembly). Khmer Will, which is running as a proxy for the unregistered opposition Candlelight Party, won the remaining three seats. The election was open to elected officials and local councillors, and the Capital-Provincial Election Commission reported 99.86 percent turnout.

Sheikh Hasina secures fourth straight term in general election

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Past

On 7 January, Sheikh Hasina secured her fourth consecutive term as prime minister when her party, the Awami League (AL), won 223 of 300 parliamentary seats. Independent candidates, most of them allied to AL won 62 seats, while the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the vote. The Chief Election Commissioner reported voter turnout was 40.99 per cent, compared with 80.00 per cent in the last election in 2018.

General election delivers hung parliament

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Pakistan held its general election on 8 February to elect representatives for the National Assembly and the prime minister. Preliminary election results show that independent candidates won 101 of the 336 National Assembly seats, the majority of which are affiliated with jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, came in second with 75 seats, and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) secured 54 seats.

Tshering Tobgay elected prime minister

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Past

Bhutan held the fourth parliamentary election in its democratic history on 9 January. Former Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won 30 of the 47 National Assembly seats, with Bhutan Tendrel Party declared as the opposition party and securing 17 seats. Initially, five parties participated in the election, three of which were eliminated in the primary round held on 30 November 2023. Voter turnout decreased to 65.6 per cent from 71.46 per cent in the 2018 election.

Chileans reject draft constitution in second referendum

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On 17 December, in the country's second constitutional referendum, a majority of Chileans voted against the proposed new constitution. 55 per cent of voters rejected a draft that had been prepared by a Constitutional Council in which right-wing and far-right members were the majority. According to critics of the draft, pressing issues, such as women’s rights and the secular character of the country, were at stake. Voter turnout was 84.5 per cent; voting was mandatory. The rejection of this second draft ends a constitutional process that started four years ago.

Country holds early elections

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Past

Early parliamentary, local and Vojvodina provincial elections were held on 17 December. Aleksandar Vučić – Serbia Must Not Stop electoral list led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) won nearly 47 per cent of the vote, while opposition parties under the Serbia Against Violence (SPN) won nearly 24 per cent. Although President Vučić did not participate as a candidate, he campaigned alongside Serbia Must Not Stop, pledging new roads, hospitals, one-time cash bonuses, and that Kosovo will be part of Serbia.