{"id":61202,"date":"2020-12-10T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2020-12-09T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=61202"},"modified":"2020-12-10T09:41:47","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T22:41:47","slug":"covid-19s-impact-on-elections-in-the-indo-pacific","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/covid-19s-impact-on-elections-in-the-indo-pacific\/","title":{"rendered":"Covid-19\u2019s impact on elections in the Indo-Pacific"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of life, and elections have been no exception. Across the world, elections in 2020 were conducted under the shadow of the pandemic, providing a stress test not only for governments but also for the very process of casting votes. This year\u2019s collection of Strategist<\/em> posts by experts from different countries and fields, Indo-Pacific election pulse 2020<\/em><\/a>, zooms in on some of the most consequential elections in the region\u2014Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Myanmar and, of course, the United States.<\/p>\n

Unsurprisingly, public health and the economic, political, social and security implications of Covid-19 have loomed large on election agendas. Only the elections in Taiwan, which took place in January, before the pandemic spread globally, weren\u2019t dominated by Covid-19. Rather, Taiwan\u2019s was about China and Taipei\u2019s survival strategies. President Tsai Ing-wen received a record number of votes (8.2\u00a0million) in a testament to people\u2019s confidence in her ability to manage cross-strait tensions. But Tsai\u2019s administration also proved to be well placed to guide Taiwan efficiently through the Covid-19 crisis. In fact, in many assessments, it was the world\u2019s best performer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For other countries, the pandemic has presented more of a challenge. People\u2019s ability to exercise their democratic rights by casting their votes also increased the risk of infections.<\/p>\n

In New Zealand, that caused the postponement of the election by a month after a small spike in coronavirus cases.<\/p>\n

In Myanmar, the election was plagued by voter safety concerns after a large surge in coronavirus infections<\/a>, and yet voter turnout was higher than expected. The election commission put it at around 70%, which narrowly beat a previous record turnout of 69% in 2015.<\/p>\n

The US also recorded its highest voter turnout<\/a> in over a hundred years as 65.1% of enrolled voters cast their ballots.<\/p>\n

Amid a continually high count of Covid cases in Singapore, opposition parties called for a delay in the city-state\u2019s election. Long queues at polling stations led to the extension of voting hours to 10\u00a0pm, leading to the highest voter turnout<\/a> since the 1997 general election.<\/p>\n

As the virus forced campaign activities online, candidates and electoral authorities also faced the challenge of countering misinformation, disinformation and cyber-enabled attempts at foreign interference<\/a>, and it\u2019s clear that many countries have a long way to go in safeguarding their elections against these new and increasing threats.<\/p>\n

In Singapore, where for the first time the election campaigns took place without physical rallies of candidates and supporters<\/a>, the government invoked<\/a> a \u2018fake news law\u2019, claiming that a Facebook post by an opposition party contained \u2018false and misleading\u2019 information about government policies. While ostensibly the law seeks to combat mis- and disinformation, it\u2019s been used as a weapon by the government to limit freedom of expression<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Myanmar, Muslim candidates<\/a> were hit with \u2018racist abuse and misinformation\u2019, and civil society organisations and journalists identified \u2018dozens of networks of accounts, pages, and groups spreading ethnically and religiously charged falsehoods\u2019.<\/p>\n

In the US, President Donald Trump himself emerged as the biggest source<\/a> of election disinformation, spreading incorrect information about the results, the counting and even the timing of voting, all to claim his own \u2018victory\u2019. Social media platforms such as Facebook<\/a> and<\/a> Twitter<\/a> also faced increasing scrutiny over their efforts during the US election, prompting the companies to do more to label or take down false or misleading information.<\/p>\n

The Covid-19 pandemic turned out to be a legitimacy test for many governments. In most cases, the voters rewarded leaders for their competent responses to the outbreak. Nowhere was that more clearly demonstrated than in New Zealand, where Jacinda Ardern\u2019s Labour Party secured a second term in government after delivering one of the world\u2019s most effective responses to the pandemic. Conversely, in the US, the Trump administration\u2019s disastrous response to Covid, which has resulted in more than 230,000 deaths<\/a> to date, cost him re-election. If the pandemic is a stress test, it\u2019s one that Trump has not passed.<\/p>\n

People\u2019s appetite for risk is often lower during crises. The electoral victory of incumbents during this year\u2019s elections\u2014in New Zealand, Singapore and Myanmar\u2014could also reflect a desire for stability and the security offered by known quantities, particularly during a time of regional and global upheaval. Taiwan would also fit into that category, although the threat perception there is mainly of Xi Jinping\u2019s harsh politics, rather than the pandemic.<\/p>\n

Despite perceptions that democracy is in some kind of creeping retreat globally, which is arguably being exacerbated by Covid-19, the election results show that democratic activism and accountability are doing well. New Zealand stands out as a prime example of a well-functioning democratic government that has secured the confidence of voters to get the country through the pandemic and deliver economic recovery. Opposition parties were able to make historic gains in Singapore, where the Workers\u2019 Party achieved its most significant increase in its number of seats in parliament since independence. In Taiwan, the victory of the pro-independence party reaffirmed the island\u2019s desire to remain democratic and resilient.<\/p>\n

The situation in Myanmar has come under scrutiny by many due to the unfair disqualification of some ethnic minorities from voting. Some believe that Aung San Suu Kyi\u2019s National League for Democracy provides the clearest path towards greater constitutional reform. Higher support for the league could increase pressure on the military to allow constitutional reform<\/a> that could facilitate greater democratisation in Myanmar. However, the military appears to be unwilling to concede power, and the treatment and disenfranchisement of ethnic minorities in Myanmar places a serious question mark over the country\u2019s democratic future.<\/p>\n

In the US, while Joe Biden was able to pull off an electoral victory, 2020 will go down in history as one of the country\u2019s most controversial elections. The structural problems with the electoral and political system in the US and the high degree of polarisation within American society have come to the fore, and conversations about necessary reforms will continue long after the Trump era.<\/p>\n

The Indo-Pacific democracies, like all nations, have had their fair share of challenges this year, but those that had the additional task of conducting general elections and charting a course for the next term have done well. The year\u2019s been short on good news, but here\u2019s some: it ends on the rather positive note of good electoral outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted almost all aspects of life, and elections have been no exception. 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