How Elections in Asia Mirror Global Challenges to Democracy

Sixty-five elections were held around the globe in 2024. What emerged from these polls was the realization that global democracy is at a critical juncture, especially with the disturbing trend of tyrants manipulating electoral systems to maintain their filthy grip on power. From Russia to Venezuela, from India to Bangladesh, from Georgia to Rwanda, elections in various nations ruled by authoritarian regimes have been marred by electoral fraud and voter intimidation or suppression. In many cases, these rulers have used state-controlled media, election law manipulation , and surveillance tactics to suppress opposition and limit free expression. The international community has watched as authoritarianism deepens, with proof of rigged or stolen elections becoming increasingly common. This new situation  represents not just a threat to the basic rights and freedoms of citizens all over the world, but to the very ideals of democratic governance that have long been a hallmark of the post-World War II global order. As 2024 comes to a close, it’s clear that the struggle for fair elections and democracy is far from over.

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Elections, democracy, and authoritarianism are starkly juxtaposed in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to democratic miracles such as South Korea and authoritarian giants such as China and the former home of the largest democracy-turned-hybrid-authoritarian regime, India. 

In this year’s elections in Pakistan and India, authoritarianism trickled into electoral exercises where an illegal crackdown on the opposition, targeted detentions of critical voices, vote rigging, and bogus illegal charges, among many more, were pervasive. Still, surprise electoral inroads by opposition camps in both countries, despite the challenges they face, represent a moment of defiance in an otherwise precarious political climate.

In a gust of change, the elections of Sri Lanka and the aftermath of the elections in Bangladesh saw young people expressing discontent with the authoritarian status quo and demanding democratic reform. 

Pakistan

Pakistan’s Feb. 8 national election unfolded against a backdrop of political turbulence, characterized by a relentless crackdown on the opposition, including through the systematic weaponization of the judiciary. At the heart of this storm is the controversial detention of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Arrested in May 2023 on corruption charges for selling state gifts, which were largely viewed as politically motivated and wholly denied by Khan, his legal challenges only intensified in the lead-up to voting with a series of federal investigations aimed to erode his political influence. Despite the targeted repression — including arrests, a campaigning ban, a prohibition against using their party symbol, internet blackouts, and vote rigging — Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party defied the odds and secured a remarkable 93 out of 336 parliamentary seats by running as independent candidates. 

PTI’s ultimate failure to secure a simple majority, however, set the stage for a political reshuffle, with the formation of a coalition government under the leadership of Shahbaz Sharif, brother of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Shortly thereafter, the coalition declared a ban on the PTI and pushed for constitutional amendments to grant the prime minister authority to appoint the chief justice, a move viewed by most as an attempt to manipulate the judiciary and keep Khan imprisoned. Khan’s supporters continued to protest his detention, including a massive November march led by Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, that drew up to 100,000 people and saw over 4,000 arrests and more than six deaths. 

As economic hardships and public discontent mount, both the opposition and Western democracies express increasing concern over the ongoing repression against the PTI and Imran Khan. Against the backdrop of continued state suppression, the future of democracy in Pakistan hangs in the balance.

India

India held the world’s largest electoral exercise this year from January to May , with nearly 640 million voters casting ballots over seven phases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the incumbent since 2014, eyed a third term. Over the past decade, he has deftly centralized power, promoting Hindu nationalism at the expense of religious minorities — especially Muslims. In 2024, the same playbook was on full display: at the grassroots level, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a militant Hindu nationalist group, helped spread anti-Muslim rhetoric in BJP strongholds. This inflammatory drivel violated election codes, but the Election Commission, dominated by people of the regime’s choosing, was conspicuously silent. At the height of campaigning, Modi unveiled a Hindu temple on the site of a razed mosque in the predominantly Hindu state of Uttar Pradesh and went on to proclaim in a rare media interview that he had been chosen by God to lead the Indian people.

Opposition parties found themselves under siege. In the months leading up to polling, opposition lawmakers faced suspensions, surveillance, and arrests. Among them was Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and chief minister of the capital Delhi, who was nabbed on the eve of the election by federal investigators on money laundering accusations widely perceived as politically charged. By then, several other AAP leaders were already in pre-trial detention on similar charges. Then, in February, Congress made a bombshell claim that the regime had frozen its campaign coffers.

Despite all this, the BJP fell short of securing a majority on its own and had to rely on a right-wing coalition dubbed the National Democratic Alliance to scrape by with a fragile majority amounting to 293 seats in the 545-member parliament. 

Sri Lanka 

Certain countries in the Asia-Pacific are marching on the path toward democracy. 

On Sept.21, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the candidate for Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP) Party, defeated opposition leader Sanjith Premadasa and former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The NPP’s progressive platform with its pro-working class and anti-political elite rhetoric resonated strongly with those frustrated by Sri Lanka’s long-standing economic challenges, corruption, and political stagnation. Dissanayake’s victory represents a break from the traditional ruling class, as his success was fueled by increased youth participation rather than endorsements or ties with the two dominant, elite political parties. 

The election was the first to be held since the mass protests of 2022, when the Sri Lankan people expressed major grievances with President Rajapaksa and his family’s decade-long political dominance and immunity. For months, protesters demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, as well as key officials from his administration. The peak of the protests saw people overrun the presidential palace, forcing Rajapaska to flee the country and, ultimately, resign. 

In two months, Sri Lanka put an end to Rajapaska’s political clan and elected Dissanayake, whose calls for systemic change and new leadership in 2022 eventually resulted in a peaceful election. It’s an election that’s been dubbed the triumph of the people. Furthermore, the victory reaffirmed the strength of Sri Lanka’s democratic institutions, which allowed for the unprecedented orderly coordination of a free and fair election and a peaceful democratic transition. 

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh kicked off the year with a general election tainted with allegations of a repressive crackdown on opposition parties, media, and voting irregularities. In the months leading up to the election, nearly 10,000 opposition figures and activists were arrested following protests against the ruling party, and more than 5,500 were injured. As predicted, the sham election secured Shiekh Hasina her fourth consecutive term, cementing her status as the country’s longest-serving ruler. 

But months after the election, students protested her controversial job quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for families of 1971 war veterans, which students criticized as discriminatory and favoring ruling party supporters. The policy sparked a series of nationwide student-led protests. The regime responded with disproportionate violent force, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Hasina eventually conceded to protesters’ demands and stepped down, fleeing to India in August. After the fall of the Hasina-led government, an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Mohammed Yunus is planning the country’s reconstruction. Bangladesh’s transition not only rekindles hopes of democracy in South Asia but also sends a chilling message to authoritarian neighbors that the people remain steadfast in their pursuit of freedom.

The future of the continent remains split. Pakistan and India’s elections reflect the Asia-Pacific’s struggle to shake off authoritarianism. At the same time, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh present signs that more Asian democracies could soon enter the international fold.