Older Voters Rule in Rich Nations --- As people live longer and birthrates drop, seniors gain more political clout

"SEOUL -- On the surface, South Korea's legislative election this week looks much like past votes. Candidates are holding rallies and parties are engaging in mudslinging.

But there will be a new wrinkle when South Koreans head to the polls Wednesday: The number of eligible older voters, for the first time, will outnumber those under 40.

Roughly 32% of the electorate is 60 or older, vs. less than 31% who are younger than 40, according to government data. That is a big shift from 2008, when younger voters outnumbered seniors by a margin of more than 2 to 1.

The graying of electorates -- and the officials who represent them -- is becoming common in advanced economies, as people live longer and birthrates drop. The world's 10 largest countries by population now have leaders older than 70.

The advancing age of voters has raised concerns that governments, backed by bigger blocs of seniors, will give priority to programs geared toward the elderly at the expense of public spending meant to benefit younger people. 

Some academics have called for overhauling how democratic governments are structured to ensure better representation for young and old.

Voters in many countries, particularly the wealthy democracies, are aging. That will be on display in this major political year, when about four billion people, or roughly half the world's population, are participating in dozens of elections -- from the U.S. to India to the U.K.

South Korea, home to the industrialized world's lowest birthrate for the past decade, offers an early glimpse at the collision between demographics and democracy.

On Wednesday, the country votes on all 300 seats in its unicameral National Assembly. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is limited by law to a single five-year term that ends in 2027, hopes his ruling conservatives regain majority control of the legislature. Older voters in South Korea skew to the political right, though polls show a tight race.

"I fear that I'll be living in a society where political power and welfare benefits will all be dominated by the older generation," said 31-year-old Lee Ji-ae. She is concerned about projections that the national pension fund will run out of money by the time she retires.

South Korea has fewer young legislators than almost any other country in the world, with about 4% of them 40 and under, placing it in 142nd place out of 147 nations, according to a report by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In the U.S., which ranked slightly higher at 122, roughly 10% of legislators are under 40.

South Korea's two major parties haven't directed much of their campaigning toward younger citizens, despite their potential allure as swing voters. Younger people recently have shown more allegiance to individual policies than partisanship, said Heo Jin-jae, of Gallup Korea, who researches public opinion.

Younger voters in the U.S. also are experiencing a disconnect from their representatives. The two major presidential candidates in November's elections -- 81-year-old President Biden and 77-year-old Donald Trump -- are decades older than they are. The median age of U.S. senators is 65.

Millennials and Gen-Z voters will represent 48.5% of the eligible electorate this fall, according to census data analyzed by researchers Mike Hais and Morley Winograd.

"If you look at what Congress has done in this world, they continue to spend, reinforce and help programs for senior citizens at the expense of doing something dramatic for younger people," said Winograd, who, with Hais, has written three books on millennials and politics. Younger Americans show more interest in third parties or abstaining from voting, they said.

The world has never before witnessed a moment where older people have begun outnumbering younger ones, meaning many democracies are becoming "gerontocracies," said Yosuke Buchmeier, a research associate at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, who recently co-wrote a paper titled, "The Aging Democracy."

With elected officials already much older than the population average in many countries, younger voters globally have become disenfranchised, apathetic and underrepresented in legislatures, he said.

The very notion of "one person, one vote" in democratic political systems may need to be rethought as seniors come to dominate voting bases, he added. Proposals range from offering young parents extra votes for their children to establishing a "generational election system," in which each age bracket gets a confined number of legislators to ensure population-wide representation.

"We will see more aging democracies in the future," Buchmeier said. "The question is, who is democracy for and how can democracy really reform itself?"" [1]

Dear Lithuanian retires, you have the power. Kick out of office all those stupid, uncultured babies, like Šimonytė, Anušauskas, Landsbergis, Armonaitė, Nausėda, who are playing with expensive useless tanks. Let's elect people who will spend our limited money for pensions of those, who build Lithuania. They are playing, you are starving. What a nonsense is this?

1. World News: Older Voters Rule in Rich Nations --- As people live longer and birthrates drop, seniors gain more political clout. Martin, Timothy W; Yoon, Dasl.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 10 Apr 2024: A.7.  

Rusija ir Kinija stiprina ryšius JAV spaudimo akivaizdoje --- Maskva ir Pekinas varžosi su Vašingtonu dėl įtakos pasaulio Pietuose

 

 „Rusija ir Kinija įsipareigojo pagilinti jų augantį aljansą ir bendrai priešinasi tam, ką jos apibūdina, kaip JAV bandymus dominuoti pasaulio santvarkoje, o Maskva vėl siekia paskatinti prekybą su Pekinu, ieškodama naujų būdų apeiti Vakarų sankcijas, primestas už jos vaidmenį Ukrainoje.

 

     Rusijos užsienio reikalų ministras Sergejus Lavrovas antradienį Pekine susitiko su Kinijos lyderiu Xi Jinpingu, JAV padidinus įspėjimų, kad Kinija turėtų pasitraukti nuo pagalbos Maskvai, skaičių.

 

      Susitikimas, įvykęs po atskirų derybų su Kinijos užsienio reikalų ministru Wang Yi, taip pat vyko atsižvelgiant į augančius ginčus dėl įtakos pasaulio Pietuose tarp Vakarų iš vienos pusės ir Kinijos bei Rusijos bei jų partnerių iš kitos pusės.

 

     Lavrovas savo pastabose po diskusijų pakartojo kai kurias Šaltojo karo kalbas ir vėl kritikavo tai, ką jis pavadino Vakarų polinkiu neatsilikti nuo Vašingtono, ir JAV bandymus priversti likusį pasaulį laikytis tos pačios linijos.

 

     „Nėra vietos diktatūrai, hegemonijai, neokolonijinei ir kolonijinei praktikai, kurią dabar taiko JAV ir visi likę kolektyviniai Vakarai, neabejotinai paklūstantys Vašingtono valiai“, – sakė S. Lavrovas.

 

     Kinija oficialiai išlaikė neutralumo poziciją dėl Ukrainos konflikto, tačiau ji išliko ekonominiu gelbėjimosi ratu Rusijai, gilindama prekybos ryšius, padėjusius Rusijos prezidentui Vladimirui Putinui stabilizuoti ekonomiką, nepaisant Vakarų sankcijų.

 

     Pekinas taip pat siekė tapti tarpininku tarp Rusijos ir Ukrainos ir išsiuntė savo pasiuntinį į Maskvą, Kijevą ir kitas sostines. Praėjusiais metais jos pasiūlymą, kuriuo buvo siekiama užbaigti konfliktą, Europos pareigūnai atmetė, manydami, kad Kinija per daug laikosi Rusijos pozicijos.

 

     Wangas sakė, kad Kinija „tiki kuo greičiau pasiekti paliaubas ir konflikto pabaigą“, o Lavrovas sakė, kad Maskva yra „dėkinga mūsų draugams kinams už jų objektyvią, subalansuotą poziciją ir norą atlikti teigiamą vaidmenį politinio ir diplomatinio susitarimo klausimu“.

 

     Nors JAV oficialiai neapkaltino Kinijos teikiant mirtiną pagalbą Maskvai, jos kritiškai vertina kitą pagalbą, kurią Pekinas suteikė, ir kuri, pasak Amerikos pareigūnų, sustiprina Rusijos galimybes veikti.

 

      Praėjusią savaitę pokalbio metu prezidentas Bidenas perspėjo Xi apie JAV susirūpinimą, kad Pekinas remia Rusijos gynybos pramonę.

 

     Iždo sekretorė Janet Yellen pakartojo tą susirūpinimą, per šią savaitę viešėdama Kinijoje, sakydama pareigūnams, kad Kinijos įmonės, padedančios Rusijos kariniams pirkimams, „susidurs su reikšmingomis pasekmėmis“.

 

     Pekinas neigė pardavęs ginklus Rusijai ir atmetė Vašingtono perspėjimus bei apkaltino Vašingtoną, kurstant konfliktą ginklais Ukrainai.

 

     Lavrovas taip pat apkaltino JAV stiprinant savo aljansus Azijos ir Ramiojo vandenyno regione, nukreipiant į Rusiją ir Kiniją.

 

     Bidenas šią savaitę priima Japonijos ministrą pirmininką Fumio Kishidą ir Filipinų prezidentą Ferdinandą Marcosą jaunesnįjį trišaliame viršūnių susitikime, kurio metu tikimasi, kad bus kovojama su Kinijos agresyviomis pastangomis pareikšti savo pretenzijas į didelę Pietų Kinijos jūros dalį.

 

     Amerikos aljansai turi „akivaizdų antikinišką ir antirusišką orientaciją“, antradienį sakė Lavrovas. Jis apkaltino JAV bandymu „sulaužyti saugumo architektūrą“, susiformavusią aplink Pietryčių Azijos tautų asociaciją arba ASEAN, 10 Pietryčių Azijos valstybių politinę ir ekonominę sąjungą.

 

     Nuo 2022 m. JAV taiko prekybos apribojimus dešimčiai Honkongo ir Kinijos subjektų, kurie parduoda įrangą, savo kariuomenę remiančiai, Rusijai. Prekyba tarp Rusijos ir Kinijos pernai išaugo daugiau, nei 26% iki 240 mlrd. dolerių.

 

     Kremliaus atstovas spaudai Dmitrijus Peskovas sakė, kad Lavrovo vizitas gali būti laikomas pasirengimu „būsimiems aukščiausio lygio kontaktams“ tarp tautų, tačiau jis atsisakė patvirtinti, ar Putinas planuoja dar vieną kelionę į Kiniją šiais metais." [1]

 

Klausykite, vaikučiai, sankcijos prieš dideles šalis, o ypač jų blokus, neveikia. Raskite kitą, įdomesnį žaidimą, negu keturioliktą sankcijų rinkinį.

1. World News: Russia, China Bolster Ties to Defy U.S. --- Moscow and Beijing vie with Washington for influence across the global south. Austin Ramzy; Simmons, Ann M.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 10 Apr 2024: A.5. 

Russia, China Bolster Ties to Defy U.S. --- Moscow and Beijing vie with Washington for influence across the global South

"Russia and China have pledged to deepen their growing alliance and shared opposition to what they describe as the U.S.'s attempts to dominate the world order, with Moscow again seeking to boost trade with Beijing as it looks for new ways to bypass the Western sanctions imposed for its role in Ukraine.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing on Tuesday after the U.S. increased the volume of warnings that China should step back from helping Moscow.

 The meeting, which followed separate talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, also came against a backdrop of a growing tussle for influence in the global south between the West on one hand, and China and Russia and their partners on the other.

Lavrov echoed some of the language of the Cold War in his remarks following the discussions, and again criticized what he called the West's proclivity for falling in behind Washington, and the U.S.'s attempts to get the rest of the world to follow the same line.

"There is no place for dictatorship, hegemony, neocolonial and colonial practices, which are now being applied by the United States and all the rest of the collective West unquestioningly submitting to the will of Washington," Lavrov said.

China officially has maintained a position of neutrality over the Ukraine conflict, but it has remained an economic lifeline for Russia, deepening trade ties that have helped Russian President Vladimir Putin stabilize his economy despite Western sanctions.

Beijing also has sought to position itself as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine, and dispatched an envoy to Moscow, Kyiv and other capitals. Its proposal last year aimed at ending the conflict was discounted by European officials who saw China as hewing too closely to Russia's position.

Wang said China "hopes to see a cease-fire and an end to the conflict as soon as possible," while Lavrov said Moscow was "grateful to our Chinese friends for their objective, balanced position, and for their willingness to play a positive role in the matter of a political and diplomatic settlement."

While the U.S. hasn't officially accused China of providing lethal aid to Moscow, it has grown critical of other assistance Beijing has provided that American officials say bolsters Russia's ability to prosecute its actions.

 During a call last week, President Biden warned Xi about U.S. concerns that Beijing is supporting Russia's defense industry.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen repeated those concerns during a visit to China this week, telling officials that Chinese companies that aid in Russia's military procurement "will face significant consequences."

Beijing has denied selling weapons to Russia and rejected Washington's warnings, and has accused Washington of fanning the conflict by arming Ukraine.

Lavrov also accused the U.S. of strengthening its alliances in the Asia-Pacific region to target Russia and China.

Biden is hosting Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for a trilateral summit this week that is expected to include talks on countering China's aggressive efforts to stake its claims to much of the South China Sea.

The American alliances have "an overt anti-Chinese, anti-Russian orientation," Lavrov said on Tuesday. He accused the U.S. of trying to "break the security architecture" that has evolved around the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean, a political and economic union of 10 states in Southeast Asia.

Since 2022, the U.S. has imposed trade restrictions on dozens of Hong Kong and Chinese entities for selling equipment to Russia that supports its military. Trade between Russia and China grew last year by more than 26% to $240 billion.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Lavrov's visit could be considered preparation for "upcoming contacts at the highest level," between the nations, but he declined to confirm whether Putin is planning another trip to China this year." [1]

Listen, kids, sanctions against big countries, and especially their blocs, don't work. Find another, more interesting game than the fourteenth set of sanctions.

1. World News: Russia, China Bolster Ties to Defy U.S. --- Moscow and Beijing vie with Washington for influence across the global south. Austin Ramzy; Simmons, Ann M.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 10 Apr 2024: A.5.