Illustration by Be Boggs.
Letters to Zócalo
What Kind of European Future Do Romanians Want?
On the Eve of Elections, Voters and Candidates Alike Are Vague on the Issues
To be Romanian is to live as a denizen of your city or town, of Romania, and of Europe.
In 2024, almost 19 million of us will choose elected officials to represent us at all three of these levels: 33 new members of the European Parliament (MEPs), 3,000 new mayors across Romania, 588 new members of the Romanian Parliament, and 1 new president.
So why is there fatigue, rather than campaign excitement? And are the Romanian and European contests functioning in opposition to each other—distracting citizens from the important issues in both …
Mexico’s Noisy, Colorful, Unserious Election
We’re About to Elect Our First Woman President, But Most of Us Know Real Change Isn’t Coming
The biggest elections in Mexican history will take place on June 2. Citizens will vote to fill more than 20,000 offices: electing a new president and governors from eight of …
Young South Africans Are Sick of the Status Quo
This Election Season, No One Is Fighting for Our Future—Mandela’s Party Included
This year we celebrate the milestone of 30 years as a democratic state and the seventh general election in which all South Africans regardless of race are allowed to vote.
Our …
What Do Indian Women Want from This Election?
They’re Voting in Historic Numbers. But It Might Not Make Them Happier or More Prosperous
Since April 19, the day general elections began in India, voters have queued up outside polling booths, braving a muggy, scorching heatwave. The mood appears mostly upbeat. Voters talk to …
This Korean Election Shows How Fragile Our Democracy Is
Our Economic Culture Has Isolated Us. Our Politics Have Divided Us. Now We’re Backsliding
More than three decades after South Korea’s democratic transition, we thought we had consolidated our democratic progress. We imagined that our democracy was strong and would grow stronger.
We are learning …
In Ukraine, No Election Doesn’t Mean the Electorate Is Happy
President Zelensky Is an International Star. At Home, It’s More Complicated
Regular presidential elections should have taken place in Ukraine this month.
But on day one of Russia’s full-scale invasion of our country, Ukraine’s government introduced martial law, under which …
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