Center-left is on a winning spree against the far-right

Will the U.S. be the exception?

The most recent elections have seen the center-left overperforming the polls, and defeating the forces of the right and far-right.

In South Korea, the country’s center-left opposition Democratic Party of Korea won in a landslide on April 10th, expanding its majority from 156 to 175 of the National Assembly’s 300 seats

In India, the nationalist right represented by the BJP did not achieve a majority in the elections that ended on June 1st, and the INDIA coalition (center-left) overperformed the polls. The BJP was forced into a coalition government for the first time.

In the EU parliamentary elections, as well as in the Belgian national election held on June 6-9, the center-right and center-left parties retained the majority (despite a better showing for the far-right in a few countries).

In the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer and his renewed Labour Party won a landslide election in Britain on July 4th, ending 14 years of Conservative Party rule and moving toward a new center-left government with a large majority.

In Iran on July 5th, reformist and cardiac surgeon Masoud Pezeshkian defeated his ultraconservative rival Saeed Jalili. Describing his victory as the start of a “new chapter” for Iran, Pezeshkian campaigned on more social freedom and engagement with the West.

In perhaps the biggest upset, France’s left-wing “New Popular Front” alliance and French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition thwarted a far-right victory in snap legislative elections. While it is still not clear at this moment whether a center-left coalition government can be formed (or, if not, there will be a caretaker government), the far-right RN was relegated to third place.

Two upcoming elections could reverse these democratic advances.

On July 28th, opposition candidate Edmundo González is leading by a large margin in the polls in Venezuela, but there is concern that the governing Chavista PSUV party might try to retain power by fraud.

And the big one is the U.S. election, to be held on November 5th. Even though Trump, the Republican nominee, is a convicted felon, found liable for rape, a fraudster, and is facing additional criminal convictions, he is currently leading in the polls against incumbent Democratic President Joe Biden. After a catastrophic performance by Biden in the debate held on June 27th, there are growing voices asking him to step aside, and allow a younger and more vigorous Kamala Harris to run instead.

Keir Starmer (Labour Party) delivers his victory speech