WHEN GOD CHANGES A SEASON: The ultimate election year.
2024 is not just an election year. It’s perhaps the election year. Globally, more voters than ever in history will head to the polls as at least 64 countries (plus the European Union)—representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world—are planning to hold national elections, the results of which, for many, will prove consequential for years to come.
From a Christian perspective, elections should always be viewed from a THEOGRAPHICAL perspective rather than just a GEOGRAPHICAL perspective.
GEOPOLITICS focuses on political powers linked to a geographical space. Put simply, geopolitics refers to political factors that are between countries and regions. When we equate the geopolitical position of a nation simply as a nation within geographical borders, then we lose sight of the bigger picture and the all-inclusive Kingdom.
THEOGRAPHICS (Theos meaning GOD and graphics the region) on the other hand observes the borderless Kingdom of God. Learn Religions describes the Kingdom of God as follows: The concept of a Kingdom of God is not primarily one of space, territory, or politics, as in a national kingdom, but instead, one of kingly rule, reign, and sovereign control. The Kingdom of God is the realm where God reigns supreme, and Jesus Christ is King. In this kingdom, God’s authority is recognized, and his will is obeyed.
Old Testament scholar Graeme Goldsworthy summarized the Kingdom of God in even fewer words as, “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule.”
When elections are viewed from a THEOGRAPHICAL perspective, hope becomes the central theme. It should be seen as a tipping point in a nation’s history: the beginning, or continuation, of a season with new possibilities and new opportunities. If we truly believe that God appoints leaders for seasons , then no election should be viewed outside the will of a sovereign God. We might not get the leaders we voted for, but that does not mean that God is not sovereignly shaping a nation for Kingdom and redemptive purposes.
In this regard, 2024 will be the ultimate election year around the world.
National elections are scheduled or expected in at least 64 countries, as well as the European Union, which all together represent almost half the global population. Voters will face diverse political landscapes with varying degrees of electoral choice. Some countries going to the polls are established democracies, some are partly democratic, and some are authoritarian regimes with little real choice.
From a Kingdom and missions perspective, seven of the key races to watch will be in the following nations.
*WWL = World Watch List – A list that ranks countries according to freedom of faith for Christians
INDIA
Population: 1,42 billion
Religion: Hindu 80.2%
Christian 2.3%
WWL: #11
Significance:
- The most populous country in the world with 1,42 billion people
- The most unreached country in the world with 1.35 billion people unreached from 2,048 people unreached groups
- The biggest Hindu nation in the world – more than 9 in 10 Hindus in the world live in India
- The third biggest Muslim nation in the world
Modi, who has been in power since 2014, is seeking a third term and is likely to get it. Modi is from the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, and has been criticized for eroding democratic institutions and marginalizing minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians.
Despite these concerns, Modi has extremely high domestic approval — with an approval rating of 78%, he is the world’s most popular democratically elected leader. Around 900 million voters will head to the polls between April and May in what will likely be a multiweek affair.
UNITED STATES
Population: 340 million
Religion: Christian 77%
Significance:
- The third most populous country in the world with 340 million people
- The biggest Christian nation in the world with 266 Million Christians (77% of the population)
- 11.2% of all Christians worldwide live in America.
- The USA is also the nation that sends the most missionaries in the world with more than 127,000 missionaries serving cross-culturally
The November 5 presidential election in the US will likely be the most closely watched and globally influential. It’s likely to be a rematch of the 2020 presidential election, with President Joe Biden running for a second term and Donald Trump likely to become the Republican nominee. Trump’s only Republican rival, Nikki Haley (remaining after the withdrawal of Ron DeSantis), is still in the running but increasingly looks to be in a race for second place.
Several indictments and potential criminal convictions have marred Trump’s campaign, but he still appears to have rock-solid support among Republicans.
The results of the election will have huge domestic and global ramifications. If re-elected, Trump has promised a crackdown on immigration and has hinted at another trade war. He has also been critical of NATO and would likely reduce support for Ukraine. Voters have also raised concerns about both candidate’s ages — Biden is the oldest US president in history at 81, and Trump is not far behind at 77.
INDONESIA
Population: 278 million
Religion: Islam 83%
Christian 11%
WWL: #42
Significance:
- The fourth most populous country in the world with 278 million people
- The third most unreached country in the world with 194 million unreached people from 240 Unreached people groups
- The biggest Muslim nation in the world
Indonesia, the fourth most populous country with 278 million people, will have the world’s largest single-day election on February 14. President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, has reached his term limit and three candidates are competing to succeed him.
Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, who is running for the nationalist right-wing Gerindra Party, is the frontrunner. He has chosen Jokowi’s son as his running mate.
The ruling party, the Democratic Party of Struggle, has selected Ganjar Pranowo as its candidate. The former governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, is running as an independent candidate.
PAKISTAN
Population: 240 million
Religion: Islam 98%
Christian 1%
WWL: #7
Significance:
- The fifth most populous country in the world with 240 million people
- The second most unreached country in the world with 237 million unreached people from 844 unreached people groups
- The second biggest Muslim nation in the world
- The only Muslim nation with nuclear weapons
Pakistan’s postponed elections are due to take place on February 8 amid a turbulent political landscape. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country’s most popular political figure, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2022 and is currently jailed and barred from politics for five years.
Following an intense crackdown on Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, analysts have raised concerns about the election’s credibility and the role of the country’s all-powerful military. The election will be mainly between the Pakistan Muslim League, or PML-N, and the Pakistan People’s Party, with PML-N appearing poised to win.
The former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from the PML-N is not running again, with his brother, the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, being their party’s top candidate.
IRAN
Population: 89 million
Religion: Islam 98%
Christian 1.7%
WWL: #9
Significance:
- The seventh most unreached country in the world with 88 million unreached people from 84 unreached people groups
- The biggest Shia Muslim nation in the world
- Home to the fastest-growing church globally with an estimated annual Evangelical growth rate of 20%
Legislative elections are scheduled to take place in Iran on 1 March 2024, four years after the previous election in 2020.
Iran’s hardline Guardian Council has barred former President Hassan Rouhani from running in the upcoming March election for the Assembly of Experts. The Assembly of Experts, established in 1982, oversees the supreme leader’s appointment and dismissal and wields significant power, though it rarely directly influences policy. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, aged 84, heightens the assembly’s importance, as it is expected to have a key role in selecting his successor. Members are elected every eight years. Rouhani, a pragmatic figure, won presidential elections in 2013 and 2017 with promises to alleviate Iran’s diplomatic isolation. Despite his moderate stance, Rouhani faced opposition from hardliners due to his efforts to improve relations with the United States following the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Apart from the 290 members of the Iranian parliament (Majles), 88 seats of the assembly of experts are also up for grabs on the same date.
RUSSIA
Population: 144 million
Religion: Christian 57%
Significance:
- The ninth most populous country in the world with 144 million people
- The fourth biggest Christian nation in the world
- Have been involved in a war with Ukraine since 24 February 2022 and the outcome of elections could determine the future of the conflict
The election will be held over three days from March 15-17 and the winner will be inaugurated in May. What makes this election unique is that voting will also take place in what Russia calls its “new territories” – parts of Ukraine now controlled by Russian forces. Ukraine says it will not rest until it has ejected every last soldier from the annexed territories. Russia says the regions are now part of Russia.
Around 110 million people have the right to vote in Russia, though around 70-80 million people usually cast ballots. Turnout in 2018 was 67.5%.
Putin, who was handed the presidency by Boris Yeltsin on the last day of 1999, has already served as president for longer than any other ruler of Russia since Josef Stalin, beating even Leonid Brezhnev’s 1964-82 tenure. Even though the West refers to Putin as a war criminal and dictator, some Russian opinion polls show he has approval ratings of 80% – higher than before the war in Ukraine.
Putin will face little real competition. In the 2018 vote, the man who came second, Communist strawberry tycoon Pavel Grudinin, who formerly supported Putin, won under 9 million votes, or just 11.8%. Putin won over 56 million votes, according to official results.
SOUTH AFRICA
Population: 60 million
Religion: Christian 77%
Significance:
- The country in Africa that sends the most missionaries cross-culturally.
The African National Congress, or ANC, has been in power since apartheid ended in 1994 and will likely face its tightest election yet. Led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who is seeking a second term, the ANC’s support has dipped amid the country’s economic struggles and corruption scandals linked to government officials.
The ANC’s primary rival is the Democratic Alliance, led by legislator John Steenhuisen, who has formed alliances with smaller parties to try and beat the ANC in a long shot attempt. The elections are expected to be held between May and August.
SOURCES
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/almost-half-worlds-population-vote-103835923.html