February
German election winner Merz vows ‘independence from US’
In blunt remarks after his victory, the chancellor-in-waiting criticised the “ultimately outrageous” comments flowing from Washington during the campaign.
‘Next time we’ll come first’: German far-right celebrates breakthrough
The AfD has little chance of joining the government, but leader Alice Weidel thinks it’s only a matter of time before that changes.
Germany’s new leader may face Trump with one hand tied behind his back
Friedrich Merz faces urgent economic and geopolitical crises. But to form a coalition he needs to turn foes into friends – and that will make it hard to govern.
Scholz promised stability, but Germany got chaos instead
The deeper rot in German governance will require more fundamental reforms than any coalition is likely to deliver.
January
German populists turn heads with fake air tickets for illegal migrants
Alternative for Germany, the Elon-Musk-backed party pushing for second place at next month’s election, says ‘only deportations can save Germany’.
Report says Trump would have been convicted in election case
A report says there was sufficient evidence to convict the president-elect in a trial if his 2024 election success had not made it impossible for the case to proceed.
Venezuela’s Maduro sworn in amid protests and international rebuke
Nicolás Maduro said his enemies’ failure to block his inauguration to a third six-year term was “a great victory” for the nation.
Immigration, voter fatigue brought down Trudeau. Not Trump
It’s easy to blame the US president-elect for everything but what brought the Canadian prime minister down is more retail politics than global conspiracies.
Trudeau bows to party rebellion, voter pressure
The Canadian prime minister, who came to power in 2015, leaves with his party trailing the Conservatives 47 per cent to 21 per cent in the latest polls.
Austrian leader quits, in possible boost for far-right Freedom Party
The move raises the chances of repeat elections and may further boost support for the far-right Freedom Party, which won the most seats at the last ballot.
Heed the election lesson of America and Argentina
This is shaping to be the year of licence and experimentation in politics, where the unthinkable can not just be thought, it can be said and done.
2024 broke a 120-year election record that is terrible news for Labor
The billions who voted in 2024 sent an angry message to incumbent governments and warmed to populists, particularly on the right.
December 2024
Musk supports far-right German party ahead of election
The world’s richest man endorsed a group with ties to neo-Nazis. The party’s youth wing is classified as “confirmed extremist”.
How South Korea fought off a presidential power grab
Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial law declaration sparked shock and fear throughout the country. But the nation’s relatively new democratic institutions held firm.
November 2024
Germany to hold early elections after government collapses
The federal ballot will be brought forwards to February 2025 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister, triggering a collapse of the ruling coalition.
Cost of living trumped gender ‘tokenism’ for women voters
While Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won the female vote by 10 points in Tuesday’s election, this fell far short of the pink wave her party hoped for.
Starmer, like Albo, faces a tricky task with Trump
Both left-wing leaders have to ensure political divergence does not disturb the US alliance. But Sir Keir has a particular problem: his name is Nigel Farage.
How Trump’s win could reshape the world’s biggest war zones
“I’m going to stop wars,” the president-elect said in his victory speech. In Ukraine, Russia and the Middle East, reactions ranged from wary optimism to a truculent shrug.
Japan’s election mess goes well beyond its borders
Japan risks entering a new phase of policy inertia that could stifle its attempts to exert more influence over global politics.
October 2024
Resist the temptation to adjust your portfolio for a Trump win
Wagering markets have Donald Trump winning the White House but don’t bet your investment portfolio on election results.