“Last summer, Japan’s long-dominant political force, the Liberal Democratic Party, faced an existential crisis. Plagued by scandal, it had suffered a series of electoral defeats so devastating that its leader, Japan’s prime minister, was forced to resign,” the New York Times reports.

“Then, just as the political obituaries were being written, the Liberal Democrats found a savior: Sanae Takaichi, a veteran conservative lawmaker who in October became the first woman to serve as Japan’s prime minister.”

“Ms. Takaichi, 64, spoke plainly and energetically — sometimes with Trumpian flourishes — about immigration, taxes and the high cost of living. She had a knack for connecting with young people: quoting lines from manga, raving about the Hanshin Tigers baseball team and the hard rock band B’z, and speaking candidly about the stresses of choosing her wardrobe when she took her place on the global stage.”

“On Sunday, only 110 days into her tenure, Ms. Takaichi achieved what had seemed impossible only a few months ago: the biggest electoral victory in the L.D.P.’s 71-year history.”

“Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi was on track to lead her party to a thumping victory in parliamentary elections, handing her a powerful mandate to deepen ties with the U.S. and rev up Japan’s economy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is looking to reverse an opposition poll lead with the rollout of pre-election spending, much of which will reach voters over the course of February, just two months from a pivotal parliamentary ballot,” Bloomberg reports.

A new AtlasIntel poll finds a majority of Venezuelans want María Corina Machado to lead their country, contradicting Donald Trump’s claim that the opposition leader doesn’t have the support to rule.

More than half of Venezuelans living in their homeland — 51.6% — say Machado should take over, compared with 14% who endorse Delcy Rodríguez, who assumed the presidency this month following Trump’s military intervention.

A new Economist poll finds Venezuelans are pretty pleased with the ousting of Nicolas Maduro, even if their vision for its future differs from that of Trump.

The Economist: “Brazil’s elections may well be kinder to incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula. That is remarkable. In early 2025 Lula’s approval ratings were crumbling. Tainted by widespread corruption scandals during his first two terms, he has been extremely vulnerable to accusations of graft anywhere in his government, such as a scandal at Brazil’s pensions institute, during his third term.”

“The 80-year-old—just 11 months younger than Joe Biden was at the equivalent point in his aborted re-election campaign against Mr Trump—had just undergone brain surgery. The Brazilian left, dominated by Lula’s Workers’ Party, was on the verge of full-blown panic.”

“Then came Mr Trump’s tariffs, a failed assault on Brazil’s justice system, and, in November, the jailing of Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president. The right has flailed in the vacuum left by its populist figurehead. Lula’s approval ratings have surged. As things stand he is now the favourite to win in October.”

“The affordability crisis that upended global politics last year continues to ripple across some of the world’s biggest democracies — punishing incumbents and undermining longstanding political alliances,” Politico reports.

“Hong Kong’s biggest pro-democracy party voted Sunday to dissolve after more than 30 years of activism, marking the end of an era of the Chinese semiautonomous city ‘s once-diverse political landscape,” Politico reports.

“In Honduras, impatience is growing as Honduran electoral officials have failed to provide an update on the results of the Nov. 30 national elections for nearly 48 hours, with the presidential race still far too close to call,” Reuters reports.

“Trump’s former campaign manager assisted the campaign of a right-wing Honduran presidential candidate who was endorsed by the American president and is now in a razor-thin contest to win the election. Brad Parscale, who ran Mr. Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign before he was replaced less than four months before the election, worked with consultants who helped run Nasry Asfura’s presidential campaign ahead of last Sunday’s election,” the New York Times reports.

“Parscale acknowledged that he advised the campaign, but said that he had nothing to do with the endorsement or the pardon.”

Donald Trump’s favored candidate, Nasry Asfura, lost his lead in Honduras’ ongoing presidential vote count, falling behind a rival Trump attacked as a “borderline communist,” Bloomberg reports.

A businessman who has President Trump’s backing for the presidency of Honduras was locked in a “technical tie” with a rightwing TV host after a preliminary vote count, CBS News reports.

Financial Times: Trump vows “hell to pay” if Honduras changes election results.

“Election authorities in Honduras announced on Sunday night that the conservative former mayor endorsed by President Trump and a sportscaster rival were virtually tied in a presidential election that many predicted would be volatile even before Mr. Trump weighed in on the race,” the New York Times reports.

“A center-left party and the far-right party of Geert Wilders were projected on Thursday morning to each win the same number of legislative seats in the Dutch election, according to the official count reported by the Dutch newswire ANP, a result that offered a strong rebuke to Mr. Wilders’s party,” the New York Times reports.

“The center-left Democrats 66, a socially progressive party with a centrist economic policy, had appeared likely to be the largest party when exit polls reported on Wednesday night.”

“Dutch voters are expected to swing back to the center in elections this week, after a two-year experiment with a government led by the far right ended in disarray,” the Financial Times reports.

“Cameroonian President Paul Biya was declared the winner of elections that were marred by allegations of irregularities, and is set to rule the central African nation until the age of 99 if he completes his eighth term,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Javier Milei’s party won Argentina’s midterm vote Sunday, a result that will give the libertarian leader a strong foothold in Congress to continue pursuing aggressive free-market policies that have won praise and a financial lifeline from Donald Trump,” Bloomberg reports.

A new poll finds Britain’s Labour Party tied with the Greens at 15%, way behind the Reform Party at 32% and the Conservatives at 17%, the Telegraph reports.