Tag: Elections

A man in a suit sits at a table with a microfone in front of him. next to him stands a tiny australian flag.

Voting for Peace Down Under? The 2025 Australian Election in a Tumultuous World

Written on 13. May 2025. Posted in English.

The 2025 Australian federal election happened during a tumultuous time, characterised by geopolitical competition, the climate crisis, and cost of living pressures. The rise of right-wing extremism in many countries and the erosion of the rules-based international order added to the mix. Australians overwhelmingly voted for a moderate government that, despite significant challenges, will facilitate international cooperation and peace-enhancing policies.

Three groups of icons representing people have shapes travelling between them and a page in the middle of the image. The page is a simple rectangle with straight lines representing data. The shapes traveling towards the page are irregular and in squiggly bands.

Germany’s Fragmented Approach to Disinformation in 2025 Elections

Written on 3. February 2025. Posted in English, Voting for Peace? PRIF Blog Series on the 2025 Federal Election.

With elections taking place in less than a month, Germany finds itself faced with a critical challenge: foreign influence and disinformation campaigns aimed at undermining democratic processes. As Anne Applebaum warns, authoritarian regimes are no longer passive observers but rather active participants in spreading narratives that target the core ideals of freedom and democracy. In Germany, the government’s fragmented approach to countering disinformation only underscores the urgent—and, given recent developments, long overdue—need for a more proactive strategy for better understanding and addressing disinformation–during elections and beyond them.

A man formally dressed in white walks towards the camera, followed by other formally dressed people. Others stand on the side including people dressed in military uniform

Sri Lanka’s Voters Shift to the Left: Unpacking the Implications

Written on 23. December 2024. Posted in English.

Presidential elections in the tiny island nation of Sri Lanka in South Asia brought a leftist coalition to power. The elections were held in September 2024. This was followed by parliamentary elections in November 2024. In both contests, the left-leaning candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his political coalition, the National People’s Power, won decisively. This blog will contextualize the economic events that enabled the coalition's victory and analyse the reasons why this electoral result is of historical significance for Sri Lanka.

Soldiers at the Korean Demilitarized Zone

U.S. Elections and Their Potential Impact on U.S.-Korean Relations

Written on 4. November 2024. Posted in English, The US Presidential Election 2024.

The upcoming U.S. elections signal a potential shift in U.S.-Korean relations. While Kamala Harris would likely continue President Biden’s focus on sanctions and deterrence, Donald Trump might just as easily revive diplomatic talks as cause another flare-up of tensions on the Korean peninsula. Meanwhile, South Korea is concerned about U.S. security commitments and currently debating whether to pursue its own nuclear deterrent. The Washington Declaration reaffirms U.S.-South Korean cooperation, but the conservative security proposal, Project 2025, hints at potential reductions in U.S. military presence. These developments raise questions about South Korea’s security and the broader stability of East Asia.

Eine Gruppe Menschen sitzt um einen großen Konferenztisch herum. Auf der linken Seite sitzt eine US-Delegation um Kamala Harris,auf der rechten Seite sitzt eine israelische Delegation um Benjamin Netanjahu

Unterschiede, die keinen Unterschied machen? Trump, Harris und der israelisch-palästinensische Konflikt

Written on 30. October 2024. Posted in Deutsch, The US Presidential Election 2024.

Die USA sind der wichtigste Verbündete Israels, doch die Kriegführung Israels im Gaza-Streifen stellt diese Jahrzehnte währende „besondere Beziehung“ derzeit auf eine Belastungsprobe. Nun stehen die US-Wahlen an: Wie würden sich Trump und Harris im Falle ihrer Wahl gegenüber dem Gaza-Krieg und dem israelisch-palästinensischen Konflikt positionieren? Und würden die Unterschiede zwischen ihnen tatsächlich einen Unterschied machen mit Blick auf eine langfristige Lösung des Konflikts?

People stand in an old hall on wooden stands and applaud a man who is giving a speech. An american flag in the background on the wall.

How Another Trump Presidency Would Affect the Russo-Ukrainian War

Written on 26. September 2024. Posted in English, The US Presidential Election 2024.

The United States has long been the most vital ally for Ukraine in terms of military aid, economic support, and pressuring Russia through sanctions and diplomatic initiatives. Consequently, both Kyiv and Moscow look primarily to the United States when it comes to the international politics of the war. Due to the outsized role of the United States in this conflict, commentators have predicted that the course of the war would shift if Donald J. Trump would be elected US president on 5 November. But what is the merit of such forecasts?

Menschenmenge protestiert mit tunesischer Flagge

Der letzte Akt: Die Präsidentschaftswahlen 2024 und die Autokratisierung Tunesiens

Written on 25. September 2024. Posted in Deutsch.

Am 6. Oktober 2024 findet in Tunesien die erste Runde der Präsidentschaftswahlen statt. Selbst wenn es einer Stichwahl im November bedarf, wird der aktuelle Präsident Saied wiedergewählt werden. Sein harter Autokratisierungskurs, den er 2021 begann, wird kein anderes Ergebnis zulassen. Auch wenn unklar ist, welche Beliebtheitswerte er wirklich noch in der Bevölkerung genießt, sollte diese Wahl eine Mahnung an die EU und Deutschland sein, weiterhin demokratische Standards bei sogenannten Partnerländern einzufordern, selbst wenn etwa Migrations- und Energieinteressen gegeben sind.

Sticker I Voted with US flag and PRIFblog tag US Elections 2024

Securing the Vote: How the US Elections Have Become More Resilient to Threats to Election Integrity

Written on 23. September 2024. Posted in English, The US Presidential Election 2024.

The upcoming US presidential elections will serve as a stress test for election administration. Election denialism, (violent) threats and harassment, and concerns about foreign influence have shaped previous electoral environments. The 2022 midterm elections provided insights into the resilience of the electoral process and the state of implementation of a substantial new legislative package that was introduced after the 2020 presidential elections. While some challenges remain, the electoral infrastructure is ready to face Donald Trump’s potential claims of vote rigging and election denial.

Kinder schwenken amerikanische und chinesische Flaggen

Going over the Guardrails? China Policy in the 2024 US Election

Written on 4. September 2024. Posted in English, The US Presidential Election 2024.

No matter who wins the US presidential elections in November, the United States will likely continue a more confrontative China policy launched under Trump in 2017. A second Trump administration, however, would likely mean an end to the Biden-era “guardrails” against escalation. It would also make it much harder for Europe to assert its own interests and conduct an independent China policy.

Five people and a dog are seen outlined in orange, against an orange background. Two of the people talk to each other, one stands along with a stick, one walks a dog, and the other is in a wheelchair. All of them look at their mobile phones intently, and all cast shadows on the ground. The shadows are made up of network diagrams, being representative, rather than literal shadows.

Going to the Polls (Dis)Informed? The Role of Disinformation in the Upcoming US Elections

Written on 7. August 2024. Posted in English, The US Presidential Election 2024.

On July 21, 2024, Joe Biden announced that he would be dropping out of the race, only a week after the assassination attempt on now official Republican candidate, Donald Trump. The electoral campaign which has so far been characterized by immense uncertainty, provides a perfect breeding ground for the spread of disinformation about the candidates and election process itself. As the stakes of the upcoming US elections remain incredibly high for both domestic and international politics, disinformation is becoming one of the most pressing challenges of our time.

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