Politics Possible

In an open election, the winner is the one who gets more votes. But what happens when authoritarians stage “selections” instead of elections, or try to rig the outcome while still allowing other parties and candidates to campaign?Mu Sochua and David Smolansky Urosa, prominent Cambodian and Venezuelan opposition leaders who managed to win election to office against the odds, share their perspectives on how bold oppositionists around the world have tried to challenge authoritarians at the heavily tilted ballot box—and ultimately retain and even build connections to home from exile.

How could the party that won the most votes and seats and helped boot a coup leader from office face court-ordered dissolution just one year later? Pita Limjaroenrat changed the face of Thailand’s politics by leading his Move Forward Party to a huge win in 2023 parliamentary elections. But he was blocked from the prime ministership, hauled through the courts, and may now face the imminent dissolution of his party and a personal ban from politics.Pita tells us how he won, how he perseveres, and what aspiring politicos everywhere can learn from Thailand about campaign tactics, voter targeting, social media, and how to win against the odds.

In January, Taiwan elected a new president but there were three deeper stories behind the headlines: voters were bombarded with a stream of disinformation to influence their views and votes; Taiwan’s techies countered by using generative AI to publicize and fight this manipulation; and young voters were more influential than ever before.‍Puma Shen and Jason Hsu—a current legislator and a former one, both deeply experienced with technologies and tech-enabled politics—join us to discuss what the world can learn from Taiwan.