Ballot to Talk About

This week Sam and Chern review the results from Canada’s Federal Election. Mark Carney has led his Liberal Party to a fourth term in Canada, but where was this election won? Why did the Liberals miss out on a majority? What is next for Pierre Poilievre as he seeks a return to Parliament? And how stable is this minority Government with the NDP left soul-searching? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

In this week’s episode, Sam and Chern break down the results of Ecuador’s Presidential Election and look ahead to the upcoming snap election in Portugal. As Daniel Noboa begins his first full term as President of Ecuador, they discuss how he managed to win again. Do Correa-backed candidates have a natural ceiling? In Portugal, will their third election in four years produce more political stability? What caused this snap election? And will Luis Montenegro return to the premiership? All these questions and more answered in this episode.

This week Sam and Chern preview the upcoming Federal Election in Australia. Anthony Albanese is seeking to avoid being the first Prime Minister in almost 100 years not to see his party win a second term. Why has the opinion polling narrowed since the start of the year? What should Peter Dutton’s campaign focus be? What are the key seats and regions to watch that will decide this election? And after a record crossbench in 2022, how will smaller parties and Independents fare this time? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week Sam and Chern preview the upcoming Federal Election in Canada. As new Prime Minister Mark Carney rolls the dice and seeks a fourth term for his Liberal Party, Pierre Poilievre is seeking to make him Canada’s shortest-serving leader. What has motivated the Liberal surge in the opinion polls? Where will this election be won and lost? How can Pierre Poilievre put his Conservative party back in the driving seat? And will the NDP lose official party status for the second time? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week focusses on election results in Western Australia and Delhi, India. As WA Labor wins a historic third term, how did they manage another landslide? Why did the Liberals fail to gain significant ground? And what are the federal implications with a national election around the corner? And as the BJP return to power in Delhi after nearly three decades, what has motivated their revival? After a disappointing 2024 Lok Sabha election, do results in Delhi, Maharashtra and Haryana prove the BJP are back in business? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode dissects results from the recent German Federal Election and this week’s provincial election in Ontario, Canada. As Friedrich Merz begins negotiations to become Chancellor, Sam and Chern ask how the CDU were able to win? Is a CDU-SPD Grand Coalition now inevitable? What is next for the AfD? And what was behind the Left resurgence? And in Ontario, how did Doug Ford win a third successive majority Government? How will the Liberals and NDP rate their performances? And what will be the federal implications ahead of an imminent federal election? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode breaks down results from the 2024 federal election in Belgium, whilst looking ahead to the upcoming snap federal election in Germany. In Belgium, a government agreement has been signed 8 months on, leading to their first Flemish Nationalist Prime Minister. Why did the Government negotiation take half the time as last time? And why have the right-wing Reformist Movement topped the polls for the first time in Wallonia? In Germany, Sam and Chern preview the snap election that will likely see the CDU return to power under Friedrich Merz. What has so doomed the SPD? How many parties will likely enter the Bundestag? And what has fuelled the rise of the AfD? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

The first episode of the year looks ahead to the year 2025 in politics and elections, discussing the polls to look out for and the themes we might be talking about as the year rolls on. Whilst not as busy as the big political year of 2024, the year sees scheduled elections in significant and fascinating democracies of Germany, Canada, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Norway, and many others. This week, Sam and Chern preview the electoral calendar, picking out some highlights and previewing some stories that are likely to define the political year region by region. Will 2025 be a year of change as multiple incumbents look vulnerable heading into this cycle?

This week’s episode takes a look back at the political year that was 2024. Sam and Chern discuss the most notable moments, elections and figures of the year as they discuss their Political Awards. What were the most consequential and surprising election results? What was the most WTF moment of the year? Who was the worst Politician of the Year? And who will take home the main awards of Male and Female Politician of the Year? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

This week’s episode breaks down results from legislative elections in both Iceland and Ireland. In Iceland, incumbent coalition partners see historic poor performances, whilst the Social Democrat Alliance reap the rewards. Why did the incumbent parties perform so badly? And what will the next Government look like? In Ireland, as a Fine Gael-Fianna Fáil coalition looks set to be revived, Sam and Chern discuss why they were able to seemingly withstand the global anti-incumbency revolt? And why did Sinn Fein fail to capitalise on mid-term polling highs? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.