Democrats aren't alone -- incumbent parties have lost elections all around the world [View all]

As the dust settles from Election Day, many have begun their autopsies on Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign, trying to parse out what talking points or issues ultimately led to her defeat. Domestic issues and the minutiae of campaigning certainly play a big role in any campaign. But a broader analysis of global trends shows that Harris was fighting against some pretty strong headwinds and that any Democratic victory or overperformance would have turned out to be quite the global anomaly.

By the time 2024 is done, more voters will have gone to the polls than in any other year in history. And among the half of the world's population living in a country with a national election this year, a clear and consistent picture has emerged: Voters are extremely upset with their governments.

Among democracies* that held elections this year, over 80 percent saw the incumbent party lose seats or vote share from the last election. That includes democracies of all kinds and in all corners of the globe.

Many of these losses have been historic: In countries like Japan, Botswana and South Africa, incumbent parties that had dominated domestic politics for decades lost their majorities and have either relinquished power or are holding on through cobbled-together coalitions with minor parties. In Senegal, now-President Bassirou Diomaye Faye became the first opposition candidate to win a presidential election in the first round since the country became independent in 1960. Sri Lankan voters delivered a landslide win to the opposition two years after storming the presidential mansion, forcing the incumbent to flee the country. And in Europe, voters across 14 countries delivered sharp rebukes to almost every incumbent government up for reelection. When taken together, these defeats are especially striking considering the well-documented advantage that incumbent governments have historically had in elections.

https://abcnews.go.com/538/democrats-incumbent-parties-lost-elections-world/story?id=115972068