There are a few elections coming up this year that are of more than a passing interest to us. In the US, Donald Trump’s campaign is aimed at staying out of jail. The chances are that all the court cases, civil and criminal, will keep his name off the ballot.
In SA, indications are that the big political picture will not change. The ANC will still be in control, either with an absolute majority or as the strongest coalition partner. Ironically, the strong position of the ANC since 1994 has been a stabilising factor in a country that was deeply divided.
We have now reached a stage of more political maturity that makes a more inclusive political landscape feasible.
In Russia, another staged election is on the cards. Vladimir Putin still pulls the strings. There is, however, increasing pressure on his leadership, but Putin uses the war in Ukraine to strengthen his position.
In Israel, a court put a spanner in the works of the extreme Benjamin Netanyahu government in its efforts to gain greater power and control. The war keeps him in power for the moment and it is in his interest to prolong it. Ironically, the human slaughter in Gaza led to resistance across the globe, also in Israel.
Overall the expected shifts in the global political landscape may not have a huge influence on us here at the southernmost tip of the African continent.
Dawie Jacobs, Pretoria
READER LETTER | Shifts in global politics on the cards in elections
Image: Alaister Russell/The Sunday Times/ File photo
There are a few elections coming up this year that are of more than a passing interest to us. In the US, Donald Trump’s campaign is aimed at staying out of jail. The chances are that all the court cases, civil and criminal, will keep his name off the ballot.
In SA, indications are that the big political picture will not change. The ANC will still be in control, either with an absolute majority or as the strongest coalition partner. Ironically, the strong position of the ANC since 1994 has been a stabilising factor in a country that was deeply divided.
We have now reached a stage of more political maturity that makes a more inclusive political landscape feasible.
In Russia, another staged election is on the cards. Vladimir Putin still pulls the strings. There is, however, increasing pressure on his leadership, but Putin uses the war in Ukraine to strengthen his position.
In Israel, a court put a spanner in the works of the extreme Benjamin Netanyahu government in its efforts to gain greater power and control. The war keeps him in power for the moment and it is in his interest to prolong it. Ironically, the human slaughter in Gaza led to resistance across the globe, also in Israel.
Overall the expected shifts in the global political landscape may not have a huge influence on us here at the southernmost tip of the African continent.
Dawie Jacobs, Pretoria
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