Election Denial Has Become Standard Operating Procedure for the Global Right
Source: Branko Marcetic. "Election Denial Is Now Normal for the Right Everywhere." October 29, 2026. jacobin.com
The Gist
The author argues that refusing to accept election losses and trying to flip the results is no longer a Trump quirk but a routine tactic of right-wing politicians around the world. He points to four elections in the same ten days and to global data on rejected results. Since it's here to stay, he says, the Left needs to prepare for it everywhere.
Conclusion
Refusing to concede and attempting to overturn unfavorable election results has become a normalized, standard playbook for right-wing politicians worldwide, so the Left everywhere must plan and organize to counter it.
Premises
- In the cluster of major elections between October 25 and November 3, right-wing politicians in Brazil, Serbia, Israel, and the US have all contested or sought to reverse unfavorable results (Flávio Bolsonaro's annulment challenge and self-declared presidency, Vučić's reported coup preparation before conceding, Netanyahu's Shin Bet probe of Arab voter turnout, and Trump and Republicans' pre-emptive delegitimization of the midterms).
- Trump's 2020 claims and efforts to overturn his loss, once seen as the sour grapes of one dishonest politician, have become a model that right-wing actors elsewhere follow.
- The International IDEA 2024 report found losing candidates rejected results in 20 percent of elections worldwide between 2020 and 2024, which it calls a 'growing phenomenon', including Guatemala, Peru, and Brazil.
- Some recent attempts (Brazil, Serbia) were abandoned or look doubtful only because the winners' margins were too large, not because the actors accepted the legitimacy of defeat.
- Future close or ambiguous results will create openings for right-wing claims of illegitimacy and overturn efforts.
Assumptions
- The cases cited (all within a short window) are representative of a systematic pattern rather than coincidence or distinct national circumstances.
- The behavior of right-wing actors abroad is causally influenced by Trump's example, rather than arising independently.
- The claims of fraud by these actors are baseless, and the underlying elections were legitimate.
- Right-wing election denial is significantly more prevalent or consequential than left-wing election denial, despite counterexamples like Petro.
- Past behavior (abandoning attempts due to large margins) predicts future behavior in closer elections.
- Organizing and planning by the Left is an effective and appropriate response.