presidential election will constitute the biggest single day vote, president joko widodo as increasingly weekend democratic institutions, and crack down on critics. the european parliament could see another surge in far-right party whence in june see our elections. as journalists and press freedom icon maria ressa told politico, quote, we will know whether democracy lives or dies by the end of 2024. professor barbara f walter is with me, and also joining me is brian walsh, editorial director of vox and author of and times, a brief guide to the end of and brian i'm going to start with. you and i'm going to quote something you wrote for vox. think of it as the democracy paradox, while more people in 2024 will be the, will be exercising the most fundamental act of democracy, voting. democracy itself has rarely felt more vulnerable.