A year of elections in democracies around the world is revealing deep dissatisfaction among voters

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI, ISABEL DeBRE and DANICA KIRKA
Associated Press

In a transformative year of elections around the world, voters in democratic countries share a common sentiment: They’re unhappy with their governments and leaders. From South Korea to Poland to Argentina, incumbents have been ousted in election after election. In Latin America, leaders and their parties had lost 20 elections in a row until this past weekend’s presidential election in Mexico. The dynamic is likely to repeat itself as the European Union launches its legislative elections this week, where conservative populist parties are expected to register gains across the continent. The reasons for dissatisfaction range from the painful recovery from the coronavirus pandemic to the backlash to economic and cultural changes sparked by globalization and mass immigration.