Changes in World Party Politics in the Context of a “Super Election Year”

2024 is a “super election year” with the biggest influence in the world since World War II. About 80 countries covering about 60% of the world’s population hold national elections. The number and scale of elections are rare in history. The processes and results of many countries’ elections are so dramatic， with a series of exchanges， offenses and defenses， which further highlights the trend of intensified political confrontation and social division around the world. In general， the old order of the world is about to be broken but the new one is yet to be established， and the world is still in chaos although people hope for good governance. Against the backdrop of the turbulent adjustment of the international structure， the ups and downs of geopolitical conflicts， and the weak recovery of the global economy， the global “super election year” resonates with the great changes in the world unseen in a century， and the evolution of world party politics is undergoing more complex and profound changes.

The Rise of Right-wing Populism Has Intensified the Changes in the Landscape of Party Politics

Since the beginning of 2024， the Ukrainian crisis has dragged on， the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has continued， the competition between major powers has intensified， the gap between the rich and the poor in some countries has widened， the problem of refugees and immigration has become more prominent， and the anti-elite and anti-establishment mentality have accelerated the rise of populist forces. These discontent have provided opportunities for far-right parties to expand their influence and even seize power. The political middle camp of major countries has continued to decline， and the rightward shift of the ruling power center has further accelerated.

In the US election that attracted worldwide attention， Trump not only won the presidential election， but also used the trend of “Make America Great Again” to further reshape the “soul” of the Republican Party， making the party more populist. The far-right parties performed most outstandingly in Europe， not only gaining power in many countries， but also advancing to the power center of the European Parliament. At present， 14 of the 27 EU member states are governed by right-wing parties. Among all the member states， 26 countries except Malta have populist parties， with a total of more than 90. In the 2024 European Parliament elections， traditional right-wing forces stabilized and rebounded， and the influence of far-right parties is still expanding. The total number of seats taken by right-wing populist parties accounted for more than one-fifth. In the British parliamentary elections， the far-right Reform Party won 14.3% of the votes and became the third largest party in the UK. The Portuguese far-right party Enough won 48 seats in the parliamentary elections， ranking third in the parliament. The Belgian far-right party Flemish Interest jumped to the second largest party in the Federal Parliament in the “three-in-one” election. The Austrian far-right Austria’s Freedom Party became the largest party in parliament with 29% of the votes. Romania’s three far-right parties have performed strongly in recent elections and opinion polls. In addition， right-wing party leaders such as Milè and Bukele won elections in Argentina and El Salvador respectively. Gallup polls show that conservative thought in the United States has risen to its highest level in 10 years; European think tank reports show that about 40% of people in Germany， Italy， France， Britain and other countries consider themselves right-wing. At present， the power and scale of right-wing populism are still on the rise globally， and the position and role of far-right parties in the world’s landscape of party politics will further enhance.

“Re-ideologization” Accelerates the Change of Social Thoughts

Globally， some political parties have once again raised the banner of ideology and used actively created conflicts and confrontations to win more support. The world’s party politics is showing a trend of “re-ideologization”. Specifically， some political parties have highlighted their own “underlying colors” of left and right， and have stirred up populism， xenophobia and identity politics. The gap in values between the left and the right has further widened， and the ideological polarization of “the left is more left， and the right is more right” has been obvious. From the perspective of social groups， the positions of the two sides on issues such as immigration， abortion， sexual minorities， and climate change are drifting further and further apart， and the contradictions are becoming increasingly irreconcilable. Groups with traditional values support the existing order and values， and oppose foreign and emerging cultures such as immigrants and sexual minorities. They support the interests of their own country above all else， and advocate the implementation of trade protectionist policies. They support the survival of the fittest in the economic field， advocate efficiency first， and reduce government intervention in the free economy. The groups holding reform values advocate pluralistic values and protect sexual minorities， trust multilateral institutions such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization and actively support free trade. They are concerned about climate change and oppose the extensive use of traditional energy， support the government’s policies such as using administrative means to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and increase taxation on large enterprises.

Political polarization is most prominent in the United States， where the Republican and Democratic parties are at loggerheads over race， religion， climate change， abortion and other issues， exacerbating voters’ “either-or” identity conflicts. In the 2024 French legislative elections， the La France Insoumise （France Unbowed） Party touted a more distinct anti-capitalist tendency， emphasized the defense of French culture， and had strong xenophobic ideas. Argentine President Milè stated loudly that capitalism is more productive and its market is fairer， and called on the West “not to let socialism advance”. The Danish Red-Green Alliance， the Peru Libre and others attempted to promote and construct alternative economic and power models through redistribution and equal social culture. At the same time， this ideological confrontation spread to relations between countries. After the Venezuelan election， right-wing countries in the region， such as Argentina， Peru and Ecuador， collectively denied the victory of the left-wing Maduro， and broke off or suspended diplomatic exchanges with the Venezuelan government.