Ballot to Talk About

This week’s episode looks back on the recently-concluded Norwegian coalition negotiations and looks ahead to the upcoming Japanese general election. After September’s Storting election, Norway finally has a new government with Jonas Gahr Støre being sworn in as the Prime Minister leading a minority Labour-Centre coalition. Halting hopes for a new Red-Green coalition, why did the Socialist Left withdraw from the negotiations and was it politically-expedient for them to do so? Will this government manage to survive a full term in office? Why did the Centre Party take on large foreign policy roles in the Cabinet?

With Japan’s 100th Prime Minister Fumio Kishida facing a general election in his first month in office, is the LDP heading for another big victory? Yoshihide Suga left the governing party with low approval ratings after an unpopular Olympic Games and troubled Covid record, but Kishida is hoping to revive their fortunes and fend off a collaborating Opposition. Is he capable of reviving their fortunes and weathering a mixed record in the post-Suga era? Does the electoral system protect the LDP from a surprise Halloween loss? Is the Opposition capable of uniting to defeat the historically-dominant LDP when still under different party brands? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode looks at two leaders who seem to be on their way out, reviewing the surprise loss of Andrej Babis in last weekend’s Czech election and discussing the resignation of Sebastian Kurz as Austrian Chancellor. After the Green Party threatened to abandon the People’s Party if Kurz didn’t resign, Alexander Schallenberg was installed as Chancellor and this phase of Kurz’s career seems to be at an end for now. Will Kurz return as Chancellor? What made the Greens so keen to demand his resignation? And is the opinion poll damage to the Peoples Party reversible?

With the SPOLU alliance and the Pirates and Mayors poised to form a coalition in Czechia, Sam and Chern look at the results of the parliamentary election and the fate of incumbent Prime Minister Andrej Babis. In an abysmal night for the centre-right and Communists, what went wrong for them? Is there any chance of Babis hanging on to the premiership? And what will a SPOLU/Pirates government be like? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

As Gladys Berejiklian leaves office and Andrej Babis fights to defend his, this week’s episode looks at a turbulent week in New South Wales politics and looks ahead to the upcoming Czech Chamber of Deputies elections. After three resignations, New South Wales is looking at three imminent by-elections and, after losing a popular state Premier, the Liberal/National Coalition will be going into the federal election next year and state election in 2023 with two new state leaders. What provoked this slew of resignations? And how will Scott Morrison and Canberra be affected by this week?

With Czech polls still open at the time of recording, Sam and Chern take the opportunity to look at the state of the parties in the Czech Republic as their campaign comes to a close. Andrej Babis and ANO are fighting to hold on to power in Prague as the opposition parties have created large electoral alliances to try and stop them. Has Babis run out of political allies in the Chamber of Deputies? What unites the seemingly broad conservative SPOLU alliance? Why have the Pirate Party been particularly strong in Czechia? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week's episode looks back at the results of two elections held last weekend in Europe – Iceland’s parliamentary elections and the highly-anticipated federal election in Germany. In Iceland, the incumbent government increased their majority, but the party of Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir slipped backwards. Will she remain Prime Minister? Why did the Progressive Party manage to advance so significantly? And is the Social Democratic Alliance ever going to be able to recover after yet another disappointing set of results?

In Germany, after initial exit polls projected a virtual tie, Olaf Scholz’s SPD ticket looks to have narrowly edged the race to succeed Angela Merkel as Chancellor, but lengthy coalition negotiations await. Is the traffic light coalition the most likely option and will Merkel still be Chancellor at Christmas? Why did Armin Laschet’s CDU ticket lose so many of its constituency seats? And as the Left so narrowly acquires compensation seats, why did their support collapse so significantly? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast.

This week's episode takes a look at the results of last week’s Canadian Federal Election, where Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has retained its minority Government status and the composition of Parliament barely changed. It dives into the various regions and provinces, analysing where the Liberals faltered in their pursuit of a majority and where the Conservatives failed in their quest to make significant in-roads.

As Justin Trudeau looks to start his third administration as Prime Minister, Sam and Chern take a detailed look at the results across Canada. Why did Erin O’Toole’s Conservative Party fail to capitalise on their early momentum in the campaign? Which region was the most problematic for Trudeau in his quest for a majority? Will the NDP be disappointed with a series of missed opportunities? And what next for the Greens after dismal set of results? All these questions and more answered in this week’s podcast.

This week's episode talks all things Scandinavia, looking back at the election results in last week’s Norwegian poll and looking ahead to next weekend’s Icelandic parliamentary elections. In Norway, Erna Solberg’s Conservative coalition was defeated and Jonas Gahr Støre looks set to replace her as Prime Minister, but with whom? The Socialist Left and Centre Party have already begun coalition talks with Labour, but can they put their differences aside? Is this a good result for Labour? And will Stoltenberg’s former Red-Green coalition re-emerge?

With one week to go until Iceland’s parliamentary election, Sam and Chern assess the main players and talk about what is likely to be a turbulent set of results. Katrin Jakobsdóttir is hoping to gain a second term as Prime Minister, but her coalition partners in the Independence Party and Progressive Party could well be eyeing up her position. How did such a broad coalition come about? Are the Progressive Party a true centrist party? What has gone wrong for the Social Democratic alliance since 2013? And why is Iceland a naturally right-leaning democracy? All these questions, and more, answered in this week's podcast.

The coverage of the manic month of national parliamentary elections continues with a look at the upcoming German federal election, where the German public is searching for the replacement for Angela Merkel as Chancellor. Will it be Olaf Scholz, Armin Laschet or Annalena Baerbock?

With just over two weeks to go until polling day in Germany, Sam and Chern take a look at the runners and riders to succeed Merkel, and the state of the race overall. Olaf Scholz and the SPD have surged into first place in recent weeks, but with all parties struggling to perform well, there is still a long way to go. What has gone wrong for Armin Laschet, and is the CDU struggling to define itself post-Merkel? Has Scholz positioned himself as the continuity candidate? After initial polling surges, why has Baerbock and the Greens fallen behind? All these questions and more answered in this week’s podcast.

The coverage of the manic month of national parliamentary elections continues with a look at the upcoming Norwegian parliamentary election, where Erna Solberg is looking to become the first Prime Minister to win three consecutive terms in office. In the Land of the Midnight Sun, who is going to come out on top?

With just over a week to go until polling day in Norway, Sam and Chern take the opportunity to look at the state of the parties as their campaign comes to a close. Erna Solberg’s Conservative party looks set to struggle to hold onto control of the Storting, whilst Jonas Gahr Støre’s historically successful Labour Party is eyeing a return to power for the first time since 2013. How have the Labour Party managed to come first in every single election since 1927? In that environment, how did Solberg manage to form a long-term right-wing government? What political space do the Centre, Liberal and Christian Democratic parties occupy? Why have the Centre Party recently been a reliable ally of the left? All these questions and more answered in this week’s podcast.