2008 saw elections around the world and throughout the year, from Georgia (January 1st) to Bangladesh (December 29th). Many of these elections marked crucial turning points for their constituencies, including a historic election in Nepal which abolished a 239-year-old royal dynasty.
But in the blogosphere, the 2008 election almost exclusively refers to the United States' presidential contest in which the Democratic candidate Barack Obama was the victor.
A historic election on several counts, this event saw the highest voter turnout (approximately 63%) in over 40 years. It was the first time that a woman (Hillary Clinton) and a black man were in direct competition for a major party nomination, and the first time in 56 years that neither a sitting President nor Vice-President entered the race. But the most significant factor for many Americans was that Obama became the first black man ever elected as President of the United States, beating out Republican war hero John McCain after a long and often heated campaign.
The Internet is widely acknowledged to have played a larger part in this contest than in any previously. Obama, along with other candidates, maintained a Twitter account and a Facebook page, using online connectivity to reach out to younger voters. The online community responded effusively, making the 2008 election easily the most-discussed topic of the year.
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