'Country branding' to take centre stage in key election year ahead

THE eyes of much of the world are currently on the aftermath of November's landmark US ballots and the forthcoming inauguration on Jan 20 of Donald Trump as president. However, while 2016 was a big election year, there is also a wide range of eye-catching ballots in the next 12 months across every continent, which will have very important ramifications for domestic politics, economics and international relations for years to come.

In the Asia-Pacific, for instance, a presidential ballot is scheduled in Singapore before Aug 26, and legislative elections must be held in New Zealand by Nov 18. There is also a presidential poll in South Korea in December - although this could be brought forward if the country's constitutional court decides the impeachment vote this month against incumbent President Park Geun-hye observed due process.

Outside of the region, there are key legislative ballots in Haiti (January) and the Netherlands (March), and also presidential polls in France (April and May), which could see far-right National Front candidate Marine Le Pen, who has promised a referendum on the country's membership of the European Union (EU), trying to run a Trump-style anti-establishment campaign to score an upset victory.