-Minister Teixeira points out nine factors that influence the “biggest election year in history”

AS the world grapples with phenomena such as the global economic decline and climate change, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, said that voters in the most populous countries such as the United States (US) will take these factors into serious consideration at elections.

The Minister made these remarks during a feature presentation on Monday at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, where the “Democracy Talks Series in Guyana,” was hosted.
The Democracy Talks Series facilitated a conversation about the importance of adherence to democratic processes, good governance and the rule of law.
With elections taking place in eight out of the ten most populous nations, 2024 is being hailed as the “biggest election year in history.”

While noting that elections are one of the key benchmarks of democracy, she said that 2024 will allow the world to have a “real time global perspective” on the status of global democracy and individual nations.
“What are the issues which are going to confront these countries?” the Minister posited.

She stated that many of the issues are caused by exogenous variables or factors, and how the individual countries, leaders and people interpret and can negotiate what is in their best interests.
She also said that some issues will impact more than others, but they cannot and will not be avoided at the regional, national and even local levels.
Teixeira went on to say: “This slow, sluggish economic growth in many regions and countries and soaring inflation exacerbate already contradictions that remain [in] existence fuelled by poverty, unemployment and rising prices. I have identified nine exogenous and overarching factors, in my opinion, which will impact on each of these countries to go into elections and influence the status and resilience of their democracies.”

GLOBAL ISSUES
Climate change is not an issue to be glossed over as this has devastating effects on all parts of the world, Minister Teixeira highlighted.
“We face a world where some countries in 2025 years will no longer exist. Where do those people go? What is their identity? What is their citizenship? Who are they? Where are they? It is real and Guyana is one of the countries listed as one of the countries that face tremendous risk from climate change as a low-lying country, according to UN studies,” she said.
The Minister further said that the heightening of global tensions, civil conflicts, war, and unilateral invasion and the flouting of international law are another issue.

“International law is the bedrock of global democracy. How can we manage a world where the issue of international law and order is not being upheld by all member states? We have examples such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israeli invasion of Gaza, and the Middle East tottering on the precipice as number two. How does that affect us? How does it affect other countries? Well, Ukraine certainly affected food prices and the availability of wheat. The invasion of Gaza has caused all of us to look at the world and wring our hands because we are unable to stop the war in Gaza against the people there,” Teixeira emphasised.

Adding to this is the global economic decline. The Minister had disclosed that the developing world faces its weakest economic growth in decades, and Latin America is one of those regions that are deeply affected.
“How will that affect the voters? How will that affect the governments and the contestants who want to get into power? How will they negotiate that when there is a global economic decline and debt crisis?” she asked.
Human rights reversal is another issue that will influence elections.

“Unfortunately, decades later, the right to choose for women in some countries has been reversed. Your right to choose your access to sexual reproductive health, who controls your body, and what do you do with your body? It’s a major blow to women’s rights, whether you are pro-life or not pro-life. It doesn’t matter; it is the issue of the right to choose,” she said before she went on to explain other examples such as migration.

TECHNOLOGY
The pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have constantly been weighed, especially in relation to democracy, the Minister noted.
“There are policies and documents being produced and a big debate and workshops being held with parliamentarians to discuss it because all of us parliamentarians are not even sure what it is. So, I mean, this is an issue where we have to catch up as well. But does artificial intelligence help, hinder, threaten, or pose risks?” she asked.

Shifting her attention to social media, which she said has many positive aspects, the Minister also stated that there are negatives since there have been instances where it has been misused to spread misinformation and disinformation, creating divisions between people and mistrust and creating a fertile environment for sexism, racism, and xenophobia.
“All of these factors, all of these contradictions and what I’m trying to do here today is to really deal with electoral politics and elections from a larger perspective than the local… Who is the politician on the ground, whether you like them or not, whether he steals or not, whether she is nice or not? Did they deliver? Did they not deliver? Those are the very localised issues. But what influences take place?” the Minister posited.