Distinguished Professor Ali Riaz has published a commentary on the lessons of recent elections in India, Britain, France, and European Parliament. In India, the opposition alliance has emerged as a formidable force against Narendra Modi’s incumbent government after a decade. In Britain, the opposition Labor Party defeated the incumbent Conservative Party after 14 years. After the first round of the election, which showed a surge of rightwing National Rally (NR), was stopped from being in power after the Leftwing parties founded an alliance that secured more seats in the parliament. While control of the European Parliament will remain in the hands of the center-right and center-left, extreme rightwing parties have done well in various countries including Germany, Italy, France, and Austria. Riaz argues that anti-incumbency, especially in economic situations, has fueled some results in favor of the opposition. The results are not a decisive defeat of the rightwing extremist parties, neither was populism being rejected by the electorate. He insists that these elections are rather indicative of challenges democracy will continue to face in the coming years.
Riaz publishes on lessons of elections in Europe and India
