As the last few years have shown, elections can have major consequences
for the rest of the world, in addition to the country in which they're held.
So in this episode we're discussing which nations have elections
coming up in 2019, and how they might impact events on the global stage.
So let's start with Afghanistan.
Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission HAD announced that the
country's presidential elections will be held on April 20th 2019.
But at the end of December, the commission announced that elections would be postponed indefinitely
to fix technical problems that occurred in the most recent parliamentary elections.
Current President Ashraf Ghani is running to win his second term, but his reelection is anything but certain.
Ghani is facing a potentially strong challenge from former National Security Advisor Mohammad Hanif Atmar.
To make matters even more complicated, external forces in Afghanistan
like the United States, Russia, and Pakistan want to head to the negotiating table with the
Taliban, after years of fighting.
The insurgent group has been making territorial gains and increasing its influence in the region.
While the United States would prefer that the Taliban negotiate with the Afghan government directly,
the group has refused, as it views the administration in Kabul as merely a puppet regime.
So the United States has begun to communicate with Taliban representatives
to outline a basis for peace talks.
The Taliban reportedly proposed to Zalmay Khalilzad,
the Trump administration's Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation
that the country's current, permanent government be replaced by an interim government
that would be led by neutral parties during the peace negotiations.
Political observers have warned that to avoid disaster in Afghanistan, the peace process must not be rushed.
Delaying the election could also give Khalilzhad more time to get the Taliban to the negotiating table.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, their upcoming election is being called "the most important since the country became independent."
With March 31st presidential elections on the horizon,
their ongoing conflict with Russia has reached another boiling point.
On November 25th, Russia's coast guard fired on and captured three Ukranian navy vessels in the Black Sea.
The next day, Ukraine's parliament voted to pass President Petro Poroshenko's motion instituting martial law.
Poroshenko has assured that the 30-day martial law period will not postpone the upcoming election.
However, some observers, like Radio Free Europe journalist Christopher Miller,
think Poroshenko is attempting to use this crisis and the imposition of martial law
as a way to bolster his own popularity as the election approaches.
It's no secret that his popularity has plummeted in recent months
Elections are only four months away, and he really does need to pull something
out of his hat to bring up that rating and to get Ukrainian voters on his side.
One area where Poroshenko does enjoy support is as commander-in-chief.
He is seen as being a strong commander-in-chief and military leader.
The election's current front runner, according to polling, Yulia Tymoshenko,
initially accused Poroshenko of using the naval incident to bolster his own election chances.
However, as a member of Ukraine's parliament, she ultimately supported
the President's declaration of martial law and voted to have it passed in the legislature.
If Ukraine is ultimately able to hold its election despite this turbulence,
it would be a major rebuke of Putin's aggression in the region.
And observers at the Atlantic Council say a victory by pro-reform candidates
could advance the country's European integration, pushing it closer to the EU
and away from Russia's sphere of influence.
Over in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party, the BJP,
are fighting to retain their majority in India's parliament in the country's 2019 elections.
They won a huge victory back in 2014, when they became the first political party in India,
besides the historically dominant Congress Party,
to gain an outright majority in Parliament.
But the backlash against some of Modi's policies will make maintaining that majority difficult.
In 2014, many Indian voters supported Modi after he campaigned on the message "Achhe din,"
which means, "Good days are coming."
While India has subsequently seen economic growth, many average Indians have not been able to share in this prosperity,
due to rising unemployment and inflation, particularly in rural areas.
Since the BJP can no longer rely on economic promises to win,
it is turning to Hindu nationalism to retain the votes of India's largest religious group.
Modi's government has initiated policies focused on gaining support among the Hindu
electorate at the expense of India's religious minorities.
Reports of religious-based hate crimes have been on the rise since 2014, mostly against Muslims.
In response to this political climate, the once-dominant Congress Party has been
attempting to rally together an inclusive coalition ahead of the 2019 election.
Rahul Ghandi, scion of the legendary political family, now leads the party,
which has been forging coalitions with small regional parties to match the BJP's support.
Israel's 2019 election approaches as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
the second longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, becomes further ensnared in corruption scandals.
Israeli police have recommended he be indicted on charges including bribery and
fraud, after investigations for three separate cases.
Israel's attorney general is currently reviewing the police's recommendations,
but it could take months before any decisions on an indictment are announced.
At the end of December, Netanyahu and his coalition announced that the next election would be
held early, in April. They said it was due to differences over legislation,
but some political observers had speculated that Netanyahu would call an early election
to ensure that he's re-elected before any indictments roll in.
An electoral victory for the prime minister, in spite of corruption allegations,
would make it more difficult for the attorney general to recommend charges against him.
According to Israeli law, prime ministers are not required to resign when under indictment,
so Netanyahu could still remain leader of the Likud Party until the election.
The party continues to back him, but its governing coalition has become much weaker.
It only holds 61 of the 120 seats in Israel's parliament,
after losing a key partner due to a dispute over a ceasefire with Hamas.
Other partners in the coalition have signaled that they would not remain members
of Netanyahu's government if he receives an indictment.
As of early December, no rival parties seriously threatened Likud's lead in the polls.
Next year, leaders in Afghanistan, Ukraine, India, and Israel
will have to make the case to voters that they deserve to hold power.[
Then, on Election Day, citizens will decide their fate at the ballot box.
What will happen to these continuing conflicts and embroiled incumbents? Stay tuned.
For more infomation >> Golden Globes 2019: Top nominees, moments to watch and more - Duration: 2:28. 
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