The business of getting elected

THE eyes of much of the world will be on the US presidential and legislative elections in 2016 with Democrats and Republicans fighting for control of the White House and Congress. However, there is a much wider range of eye-catching ballots taking place in the next 12 months, especially in the Asia-Pacific, which will have important ramifications for domestic politics, economics and international relations for years to come.

This includes the Taiwanese presidential and legislative polls on Jan 16; the South Korean legislative election in April; the Vietnamese legislative ballot and the Phili…