Ballot to Talk About

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern break down results from five 2026 elections in German Landtags: Baden Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saxony-Anhalt, Berlin and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. With the AfD on the rise and looking set to form a state Government for the first time, can they translate this into federal success? Why did the CDU do so badly towards the end of the year? Are voters behaving more tactically? And is Chancellor Friedrich Merz operating on borrowed time? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern look ahead to the upcoming 2026 US midterms, and assess some of the most interesting stories across the state primaries. What are the most interesting Senate, House and Governor races coming up in November? Is there a realistic path to congressional control for the Democrats? What are the major factors driving the national environment? And what is driving the several progressive successes in primaries? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern dissect recent political events in the UK and France, focussing on Andy Burnham’s first week as the UK’s 59th Prime Minister. In France, how is the field shaping up ahead of a 2027 Presidential Election? Is Marine Le Pen now back as the frontrunner? And how will the left of French politics approach the election? In the UK, who were the most interesting appointments in Burnham’s inaugural Cabinet? Can he turn the Labour Party’s fortunes around? And what do the personalities and policies suggest about the direction and focus of the Burnham premiership? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern break down results for a pair of South American presidential elections in Colombia and Peru. In Colombia, how did Abelardo de la Espriella win the presidency and take Colombia back to the right? What is Gustavo Petro’s legacy? And why was the result so close? And in the knife-edge Peruvian poll, how was it fourth time lucky for Keiko Fujimori? Was the recent political instability to blame? And can she overcome it in her presidency? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern dissect results from the snap General Election in Malta, and unpack the recent UK by-elections and subsequent resignation of Keir Starmer as Prime Minister. In Malta, how did Robert Abela win an unprecedented fourth consecutive term for his Labour Party? And what is next for the Nationalists after a modest increase in their support? And in the UK, how did Andy Burnham win in Makerfield? Why did Keir Starmer resign, and is Burnham’s path to No.10 unstoppable? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern dissect results fromthe recent Spanish regional elections in four autonomous communities: Aragon, Extremadura, Castille and Leon, and Andalusia. As the PP prepare for negotiations with Vox across the country, the episode asks why they performed well but fell short of an overall majority? Can they work well with Vox in Government? And what do these results say about Pedro Sanchez’s fortunes ahead of a scheduled 2027 General Election? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s extended episode, Sam and Chern breakdown the results and fallout from the local and regional elections across England, Scotland and Wales. As the UK experiences three nationalist leaders of the sub-national assemblies for the first time, how did the SNP win a fifth term in Scotland, and Plaid Cymru top the Welsh polls for the first time? How did Labour lose so badly in Wales? Where were the big Reform UK successes in England? And how long will Keir Starmer retain the premiership following a national drubbing? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern dissect results from the 2026 set of Indian State Assemblies in five areas: Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and the big BJP win in West Bengal. In Kerala, why was the last-standing Communist State Government ousted? How did the BJP and NDA retain power in Assam and Puducherry? Can film star Vijay form a stable majority in Tamil Nadu? And how did the BJP pull off a big win in its long-sought target of West Bengal? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern dissect election results from two seismic elections in both Hungary and Bulgaria. In Hungary, Peter Magyar brought Viktor Orban’s 16-year premiership to an end, but how did he manage such a landslide victory? What will be the geopolitical impact of this transfer of power? And in Bulgaria, how did Rumen Radev win the first majority Government after eight elections since 2021? And are they poised to replace Orban as the EU’s problem child? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern look ahead to theupcoming UK local and regional elections across England, Scotland and Wales. As the UK braces for a major party political shakeup, this podcast previews the races to look out for and state of the parties three weeks out. In Scotland, can the SNP claim only their second ever Holyrood majority? In Wales, are Labour poised to lose Government for the first time and fall to third place? And across the board, are Reform UK and the Greens set to convert polling performances into elected representatives? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.