Ballot to Talk About

Sam and Chern break down the year in UK politics and the state of the Conservative and Labour parties. Have either party’s reshuffles changed the political narrative in the UK? Has Rishi Sunak done anything in 2023 to improve the Conservative chances of victory in the next General Election? Do the 2023 by-election results indicate an inevitable Labour victory? And has the SNP hegemony in Scotland come to an end? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern break down results from this week’s elections in Argentina and the Netherlands. In Argentina, how did Javier Milei comfortably defeat Sergio Massa for the presidency? How will Milei overcome a lack of a majority in Congress? And how will Argentina’s allies work with Milei? In the Netherlands, what will the eventual Government look like following the PVV’s win? How did Geert Wilders manage to top the polls for the first time, and can he become Prime Minister? And as Timmermans, Omtzigt and Yeşilgöz-Zegerius plot their next move, who is the biggest loser after this tight campaign? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern break down the year in US politics and the recent off-year electoral cycle. After a few weeks of three gubernatorial races, state legislatives contests and Ohio ballot initiatives, were there any big surprises? How did Democrat Andy Beshear win re-election in a strong Republican state on the federal level? Why did Glenn Youngkin fail to win a Republican trifecta? And after another strong pro-choice vote in the Ohio referendum, will that issue continue to boost Democratic turnout as they head into 2024? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern break down results from two recent presidential elections in South America – one in Ecuador and the other in Argentina. In Ecuador, how did Daniel Noboa defeat the Correa-backed Luisa González? And can Ecuador’s youngest President turn around their fortunes in just eighteen months? In Argentina, how did Sergio Massa outperform polling expectations to win the first round? Can Javier Milei rally the Opposition to defeat the incumbent Peronists? And what should we expect ahead of the second round later this month? All these questions and more answered in this week’s episode.

Sam and Chern break down results from two recent parliamentary elections – one in New Zealand and the other in Poland. In New Zealand, how did Christopher Luxon’s National Party overturn Labour’s majority? Will they need to negotiate with Winston Peters and NZF as well as ACT? And what is next for Chris Hipkins and the Labour Party? In Poland’s consequential election, how did the Tusk-led

Sam and Chern discuss results from recent elections in the

Sam and Chern discuss the results from Slovakia’s parliamentary election and from the provincial election in Manitoba, Canada. In Slovakia, how did Robert Fico’s Smer party win the tight election? Why did Peter Pellegrini take Hlas into a Smer-led coalition? And what will the impact of Fico’s premiership be on Slovakian domestic and foreign policy? In Manitoba, how did the NDP prevent a Progressive

Sam and Chern discuss the state of federal politics in Canada and look ahead to the upcoming Indigenous Voice Referendum in Australia. What are the notable appointments in Trudeau’s reshuffle? Will the scale of the reshuffle help to reverse the declining fortunes of the Liberals? And what, if any, will be the impact of the Speaker resignation and the Indian diplomatic dispute? And in Australia, how has the ‘No’ campaign taken the lead in the Voice referendum after a period of ‘Yes’ lead? How has the Liberals’ side of the argument seemingly won the debate, despite Labor still leading the polls? And can ‘Yes’ turn it around in the final two weeks? All these questions and more answered in this episode.

Sam and Chern preview two upcoming elections on opposite sides of the globe in New Zealand and Poland. In New Zealand, how has Labour gone from a triumphant majority to at real risk of falling out of office in just one term? How has Christopher Luxon transformed the fortunes of the National Party, and what is the state of Labour under Chris Hipkins? In Poland, is the Law and Justice Party poised for an unprecedented third term? Can Donald Tusk overcome poor personal ratings to return the opposition to power? And why is this election so significant to the European Union? All these questions and more answered in this episode.

Sam and Chern preview two upcoming snap European elections, one in Slovakia and the other in the Netherlands. How did both of these countries end up with early elections? With their fourth Prime Minister in three and a half years, Slovakia is heading for an early parliamentary election with the return of former Prime Minister Robert Fico on the cards. Who are the main contenders to take over the Slovakian premiership and what are the potential geopolitical consequences? And in the Netherlands, as Mark Rutte’s tenure as the longest serving Dutch Prime Minister