INDEX ON CENSORSHIP | VOL.52 | NO.4
The Index
ELECTION WAT C H
DAISY RUDDOCK takes a world tour of upcoming polls
1. El Salvador
4 FEBRUARY 2024
2024 marks a rare occasion when El Salvador’s presidential and legislative elections are aligned. Incumbent president Nayib Bukele has announced his intention to run for re-election, despite critics claiming that to do so would be unconstitutional, and his favourable reputation in the country makes him the overwhelming favourite to win.
There are fears that online misinformation will influence the elections. Known for his tech-savvy persona, Bukele has used online networks to push his own message and clamp down on dissidents, and even once set his Twitter bio to “the coolest
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Vladimir Putin at the World Economic Forum; El Salvador President Nayib Bukele with President Donald Trump in 2019; Macky Sall, president of the Republic of Senegal dictator in the world”, showing his flippant attitude towards free speech.
During his 2018 campaign, Bukele was accused of manipulating online discourse by funding ‘troll farms’, which pushed misinformation and harassed critics. The media has been targeted both via legislation and social media abuse, making journalists increasingly fearful that online attacks may bleed into reality.
2. Senegal
25 FEBRUARY 2024
Macky Sall’s announcement in July 2023 that he would not be running for a third term as president was a big relief for pro-democracy campaigners, who had feared further democratic regression in the state. Sall had previously suggested that the state’s constitution would allow him to run again, leading to months of tension and unrest.
But there are concerns over the allegedly politically motivated imprisonment of candidate Ousmane Sonko, a situation not dissimilar to the exclusion of two prominent opposition politicians, Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade, during the previous election. Despite the president’s withdrawal, questions remain over the identity of his successor. Some fear that the transition of power will be far from smooth due to the incumbent party’s reluctance to surrender power in the event of a loss.
3. Russia
MARCH 2024
The people of Russia will be heading to the polls in March, but the result of their presidential election is already assured. President Vladimir Putin
Free speech in numbers
2,000
The number of Huawei-supplied traffic surveillance cameras in Nairobi, according to Coda Story
39
Journalists and media workers killed in the first month of the Gaza conflict
Length of sentence in months handed to Vietnamese political commentator Le Thach Giang for reporting on abuse of power by the Vietnamese authorities 42
5
The number of years for which Tommy Robinson had been banned from X/Twitter before his reinstatement, along with Katie Hopkins, in early November
Years in jail faced by Russian artist Sasha Skochilenko for spreading “ false” information about the country’s armed forces after replacing supermarket price tags with protest slogans 7
oversees the country in authoritarian fashion, suppressing dissenters, silencing media critics and targeting political opponents. This election is therefore simply an advert for the state’s lack of free expression.
As if to highlight this, constitutional amendments were passed by the government in 2020 to allow Putin, but not future presidents, to run for an additional two consecutive terms, potentially extending his rule to 2036.
C R E D I
F l u e c k i g e r ; (
N a s r i n S o t o u d e h )
H o s s e i n r o n a g h i ; ( L i
Y i h u a n , L e i l a
H o s s e i n
Z a d e h ) F r o n t l i n e
D e f e n d e r s ; (
A l i o u S a n é )
Y e n a
M a r r e
T: ( B u k e l e ) S h e a l a h
C r a i g h e a d /
W h i t e
H o u s e ; ( S a l l )
D e a n
C a l m a / I
A E A ; ( P u t i n )
W o r l d
E c o n o m i c F o r u m / s w i s s - i m a g e .
c h /
M o n i k a
6 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG
