A record number of people are heading to the polls around the world this year, including in Asia.
This is particularly significant for the region because with the exception of Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Asia-Pacific is seeing a significant increase in #populism and #authoritarianism, harking back to an era when strongmen presidents ruled with an iron fist.
Hundreds of millions of votes won’t necessarily mean more democracy.
There are a few reasons for this.
We have already seen the rise of less democratic leaders in the Netherlands and Italy, and there is a corresponding trend in Asia.
China’s alternative model of governance, which prioritizes economic #development over civil #liberties, is increasingly appealing.
Many voters have become disenchanted with Western democracies in a post-#Brexit, post-#Trump world, and are actively looking for something else.
Combine that with social media amplifying the message of candidates who can now bypass a press struggling to keep them accountable, and it helps explain the allure of more #authoritarian leadership.
Artificial intelligence tools will only make things worse, as the proliferation of fake news, #misinformation and #disinformation inundate the timelines of a largely young and often unquestioning voter demographic.
https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2024-01-02/asia-elections-democracy-will-get-a-reckoning-in-2024
A former general linked to past human rights abuses claimed victory Wednesday in Indonesia’s presidential election, a result that would raise questions about the commitment to democratic values in the sprawling island nation that is the world’s third-largest democracy.
Defense Minister Prabowo #Subianto, 72, presented himself as an heir to immensely popular sitting President Joko Widodo, whose son was his running mate.
Citing unofficial results, Subianto told thousands of supporters in the capital, Jakarta, that his victory was “the victory of all Indonesians.”
Two former provincial governors who also competed in the balloting did not concede defeat.
Subianto, who was once banned from entering the United States for two decades because of his human rights record, was an army general during the brutal period of the Suharto dictatorship, which ended just over 25 years ago in the archipelago between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
He served as a special forces commander in a unit linked to torture and disappearances, allegations that he vehemently denies.
https://apnews.com/article/indonesia-presidential-election-voting-dd732adb2d0f3b674fc92aee4f547c6a
Prabowo #Subianto secured a thumping victory in #Indonesia’s presidential election following a hard-fought three-way campaign.
Polls going into the Feb. 14 contest suggested his likely victory, but many analysts had predicted a second-round runoff.
Instead, the defense minister soared past his opponents on the first try, delivering an unexpected landslide with around 58 percent of the votes.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2024/02/22/asia-democracy-politics-election-modi-prabowo-marcos-india-indonesia-philippines/
The 
An independent judicial system offers a way to make their voices heard! 
gut the “deep state” and radically reshape the government 
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