Ballot to Talk About

This week, Sam and Chern dissect results from the Austrian legislative election, and the presidential contest in Sri Lanka. In Austria, the Freedom Party came first for the first time, but why were they so popular in this cycle? Why did the Peoples Party perform so poorly? And despite this, why are they still the kingmakers in Government? In Sri Lanka, how did Anura Kumara Dissanayake triumph? What was the impact of the 2022 protests? And can he turn around the economic and political woes? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern unpack results from three German Landtag elections in the East of the country – Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. As the AfD scored their best regional results ever, what has been key to the far right’s success in Germany? Does the Brandenburg result suggest a glimmer of hope for the SPD on the federal level? Can the CDU cooperate with the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance in Government? And can the federal coalition survive this round of poor results? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern begin their preview of the upcoming US elections, focussing on the battle for Congress in the House and Senate. How has Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race affected the battle to control the legislative chambers? What are the competitive House districts and Senate seats that will decide control? Will there be any major examples of spilt-ticketing across the country, or has this reached yet another all-time low? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week, Sam and Chern turn their attention to Australia, reviewing the election in the Northern Territory, and previewing upcoming polls in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Queensland. In the Northern Territory, why did the Labor Party lose power so decisively? Why were the Country Liberals so successful? After a period of complete control of mainland Australia, is Labor’s star fading? Are Labor about to also lose control in Queensland for only the second time this century? Are the issues similar to the territory, and what might the federal impact be with a national election due next year? All these questions and more answered in t hisweek’s episode.

Returning earlier than expected for an emergency episode, Sam and Chern discuss Joe Biden’s historic decision to withdraw from the 2024 Presidential Election and the state of this renewed race. Why did Biden choose to withdraw from the race, and was it a surprise how quickly the party adopted Kamala Harris as the replacement? Why did Harris pick Tim Walz as her running mate? Is she re-forming the Biden 2020 electoral coalition? And what is the state of the race with just a few months remaining? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern discuss the surprise results from the snap French legislative election and unpack the Starmer Cabinet in the UK just over a week on from the General Election. How did the New Popular Front pull off a first place finish in this snap election? Why did the National Rally fall far short of expectations? And as talks begin, what kind of Government is possible in this fragmented National Assembly? In the UK, Keir Starmer has begun his time as Labour Prime Minister, but what does his Cabinet say about the first term agenda? Were there any surprises? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this 2024 UK General Election special, Sam and Chern discuss the results as they unfolded throughout the night. Sir Keir Starmer has become UK Prime Minister following a landslide victory, but there were so many stories underneath the surface. How did the Labour Party win such a commanding majority? Which seats provided the most interesting stories throughout the night? As the Lib Dems notch up their biggest ever seat count, where in the country did they win? And with the rise of Reform UK, the Greens and Independents, what threats do they pose to the two main parties in the Parliament to come? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern look back at results from South Africa’s General Election, and conclude their preview of the UK General Election, focussing on Northern Ireland and Scotland. In South Africa, the ANC have failed to obtain a majority for the first time since 1994 and have formed a unity coalition with the Democratic Alliance. Why did the ANC choose the DA and not the EFF or Zuma’s MK Party? And is Cyril Ramaphosa’s time as President limited now? In the UK, what are the seats to watch out for in Scotland and Northern Ireland? And as the campaign draws to a close, has anything moved the dial? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern look back at results from the giant election for the new European Parliament. In a changing European political landscape, where were the key losses or successes for the party blocs? Did the far-right surge occur as extensively as observers expected? And as the tussle for the European Union top jobs intensifies, who are we likely to see get roles? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern look back at results from two recent large General Elections in Mexico and India. In Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum is set to become their first female President, but how was she able to oversee such a commanding victory for the governing Morena Party across the board? Was it a failure of opposition, or was it evidence of the popularity of outgoing President Andrés Manuel López Obrador? In India, Narendra Modi’s NDA failed to get the 400 seats they were aiming for and actually fell backwards. Why was it such a polling miss? Why did voters turn away from the BJP? And can Congress/INDIA take credit for a successful campaign? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.