THE GLOBAL POLITICAL IMPACT OF THE CORONA-VIRUS PANDEMIC

Abstract

The Coronavirus pandemic has put profound pressure on the democratic electoral system around the world. Many national and regional elections, as well as referendums werepostponed, while others took place in a form adapted to the acute health crisis. The pandemic affected not only the actual conduct of election campaigns, which, due to health restrictions,used the online environment extensively, but also national public agendas. Issues such as public health, social and economic inequality, violations of individual rights and freedoms, as a resultof measures to prevent the risk of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, have come to the fore. The crisis has generated unpredictable and potentially disastrous results, from the collapse ofmainstream (traditional) parties to the emergence of new leaders and new political parties, some with strong extremist orientations. How has the Coronavirus pandemic changed theperception of the electorate and how has this perception influenced voting in times of crisis?Keywords: pandemic; Coronavirus; crisis; democracy; elections; impact