RationalWiki:What is going on with the elections?/2017

December 2017
At a certain point, one has to wonder if the phrase "voter fraud" is going to be the Republican party motto, as Roy Moore asks for an investigation even as Doug Jones' win is certified. Member of Russian "opposition" barred from running for president. A special election for the House is anyone's game in a district that went for Trump by 20 points. On Thursday night pro-independence parties secured a renewed majority in the Catalan parliament. Although the pro-union centre-right Citizens were the most voted party, the result is a blow to Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s hopes of defusing the constitutional crisis in Catalonia. Democratic candidate Doug Jones defeats Roy Moore in Alabama's special election for the United States Senate. Doug Jones Is Just A Normal Polling Error Away From A Win In Alabama

November 2017
Ralph Northam defeats Republican opponent Ed Gillespie for the seat of Governor of Virginia. Trump's reason for why Northam won was predictable: "Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for." Meanwhile, Danica Roem is elected Virginia's first openly transgender legislator, defeating a homophobic opponent in the race.

October 2017
Labour Party leader Jacinda Ardern will become the new prime minister of New Zealand after forming a coalition government with NZ First along with the backing of the Green party.

September 2017
The state of Alabama elects a lawless theocratic lunatic named Roy Moore as the Republican candidate for the United States Senate, defying sanity and the President. Moore, who twice lost his job as chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court, denies evolution, is a raging homophobe, islamophobe, and serial violator of judicial ethics rules who has said that the events of September 11 were God's punishment because of U.S. acceptance of gay rights and abortion. Defying pressure from Baghdad, threats from Turkey and Iran, and international warnings that it may cause more regional conflict, Kurds vote in a non-binding independence referendum in Northern Iraq with a 78% turnout. Angela Merkel secures her fourth term as German Chancellor. However, her party has lost many seats to the AfD, a far-right group. What if you vote early and your candidate dies?? This and other important questions answered as New Zealanders vote early in record numbers for their General Election which will be held on Sept 23. Update: with 2 days to go about 1/4 of the electorate has voted already (~800,000 of ~3.2 million).

July 2017
Ram Nath Kovind of the Bharatiya Janata Party is elected president of India.

June 2017
More BC political drama Two more special elections in solidly Republican districts, two more surprisingly narrow (less than four points) Republican victories. Both Democrats and Republicans find a lot to like in the results.

Emmanuel Macron stands triumphant in French parliamentary elections, with his La République En Marche! party winning a decisive majority of over 355 seats out of 577.

Theresa May warned us about a coalition of chaos, propped up by religious fundamentalist extremist terrorist sympathisers. She just didn't say that she'd be trying to lead it.

UK election results: Tory collapse leads to hung parliament.

Exit polls predict a large swing towards Labour and a likely hung parliament in the UK general election.

May 2017
As a widely watched special election campaign drew to a close, Greg Gianforte, a House of Representatives candidate from New Jersey Montana turns American politics into WWE by body slamming Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs the night before election, causing three of the largest newspapers in state to retract their endorsements in outrage. Nonetheless he won! In response to attacks on Corbyn for his meeting with Gerry Adams, activists remember that the Tories literally have a former IRA member in their party. Hassan Rouhani wins Iranian election in landslide victory to the delight of reformists. In an event totally not typical of what happens every election, UKIP has been forced to suspend a candidate in Wiltshire over racially-provocative tweets. Scottish nationalists face a potential split as the SNP face competition with the more radical "Scottish Independence Referendum Party". A Conservative MP has been forced to apologise after telling a high schooler to "fuck off back to Scotland" during a discussion on Scottish independence. Macron wins French election in landslide victory Something looks familiar in the French election...

April 2017
Not familiar with a tradition going back to the French revolution, a Conservative parliamentary candidate is being trolled online after suggesting Working Class people who drink at coffee shops are hypocrites. As with all parliamentary elections, UKIP has again failed to check out its candidates for embarrassing issues. This time one candidate is a follower of totally-not-racist English Defence League leader (and totally not terrorist) Tony Robbinson and labels Islam a cancer which the State is refusing to deal with. A member of not-racist Pegida has also been selected as a candidate. A Conservative MP has resigned ahead of the general election following allegations he didn't want to visit a college due to homosexual students, who he saw as a "danger to society". The Liberal Democrats have dismissed an MP candidate ahead of the 2017 UK general election over questionable comments about Holocaust Memorial Day and wanting to fire rockets into Israel from Gaza. France will have to chose between a free-market apologist and an anti-immigration far-right candidate for the presidential election. In recent semi-interesting news the US holds a few special elections, which may end up not being important. Theresa May calls UK general election for 8 June France's National Front party draws young voters to the far-right while speculations are raised regarding their funding and relationship with Russia.

March 2017
Dutch election results; Euro-Trump wannabe Geert Wilders has to share second place with 2 other parties, and since few want to be associated with his party, it is unlikely he will have any significant say over how the Netherlands is run.

February 2017
Profile of French centrist presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. French conservative François Fillon fades in the polls due to fake-job scandal.