2024 will be world’s biggest election year ever -Who’s heading to the polls?
Next year is going to be a busy year for politics, with the UK, US and India amongst some of the countries heading to the polls.
Experts have expressed their concerns over the impact of AI during the election year, as 2024 will mark the first major election year when generative AI such as ChatGPT and deep fake images are mainstream.
The experts have said the world is not properly prepared for the impact of AI.
2024 elections & AI fears
The year ahead could see more than two billion people across 50 countries head to the polling station – a record high.
The UK is set to hold its general election – it’s believed to be around Spring 2024 (the latest it can be held is January 2025). The US will hold its presidential election in November and India – the most populous country, will vote for its next PM.
Deepfakes are a major concern ahead of the busy election year. Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer have already fallen victim to deepfakes.
The fear is that with deep fakes and generative AI, misinformation could spread “at a much bigger scale” in the run-up to 2024’s elections.
Who’s heading to the polls in 2024
United Kingdom general election
The UK’s next general election is expected to take place in Spring or Autumn next year. A general election has to be held before January 2025, but many expect it to come a lot earlier.
Rishi Sunak is the latest Conservative PM, he was elected by fellow Tory MPs on the back of Boris Johnson’s 2019 general election landslide. This year marks the 13th year of Conservatives in power.
David Cameron was elected in 2010 (he was the PM who introduced Brexit) he was then ousted by Theresa May who only got three years in the job before being given the boot by her colleagues. Boris Johnson then came into power and held a 2019 snap election – before being ousted by the Tories just three years later. Following Johnson, Liz Truss had a go at being PM for all of 49 days before Tory MPs voted in Rishi Sunak to calm the waters.
Sunak got off to a calm start but like the last few Tory PMs before him, he’s been hit by scandal after scandal.
Many expect the Conservatives will be out of power in 2024 with Labour likely to win the next general election – although nothing is certain, polling suggests it will be a landslide Labour win.
United States presidential elections
The US will vote for its next President in November 2024 – with the new president taking office in January 2025.
Joe Biden is seeking a second term and is currently campaigning for reelection. The Republican candidate will likely be Donald Trump – meaning the US will be choosing between the same candidates they had in 2020.
Polling suggests if it is a rematch of the 2020 candidates it will be a fairly tight contest – with Trump polling slightly ahead of Biden.
India general election
The Indian general election is expected to be held between April and May and see the people elect the members of the 18th Lok Sabha.
The politics of India has become increasingly polarised in the run-up to the 2024 Indian general elections, with two major alliances emerging; the incumbent National Democratic Alliance and the opposition bloc Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance.
Pakistan Parliamentary Elections
General elections are scheduled for 8 February 2024 to elect the members of the 16th National Assembly.
This year, Pakistan’s government experienced chaos when former Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from governance on accusations of corruption.
Bangladeshi general election
Bangladesh will hold its general election on 7 January. All major opposition parties are opposing the elections. Massive rallies have led to mass arrests of opposition leaders in Bangladesh drawing international attention to the Sheikh Hasina-led government in Bangladesh.
Russia elections
President Vladimir Putin has already declared his candidature for another term and there is no opposition so it looks like the people of Russia only have one choice. Opposition leader and Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny has been imprisoned, and his latest whereabouts are unknown.