Upcoming Elections
Denmark Parliamentary – June 5, 2019
Anne Sophie Hoffmann, DW: “Denmark’s left heads right in general election”
Martin Selsoe Sorensen, New York Times: “Denmark Faces an Election Fueled by Anger on Climate and Immigration”
The Economist: “Under left or right, Denmark is set to adopt ever harsher policies against migrants: The Social Democrats are likely to win the election by wooing the anti-foreigner vote”
Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press: “A look at what is at stake in Denmark’s general election”
Michael Barrett, TheLocal.dk: “Why Denmark’s electoral system means a Quran-burning extremist could enter parliament”
Chris Harris, Euronews: “Denmark general election 2019: All you need to know to understand the vote”
Albania Local – June 30, 2019
Llazar Semini, Associated Press: “Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters took to the streets again Sunday to demand new elections despite repeated calls from Western powers to sit down for talks. At least seven police officers and a demonstrator were injured in scattered violence during the protest.”
Gjergi Erebara, Balkan Insight: “The opposition parties have vowed to boycott the forthcoming local elections and in most municipalities only a single candidate is standing for mayor. While calling for dialogue, Rama has refused to discuss postponing the elections. The opposition has said it will not allow elections to take place on that date. Observers have warned of a potential showdown as election day approaches, with the risk of further escalation.”
Greece Snap Parliamentary – July 7, 2019 (following local and European elections on May 26 and local runoffs on June 2)
AFP: “Alexis Tsipras’ ruling left under threat as conservatives sweep Greek local elections. Conservative opposition New Democracy party candidates look likely to have won 11 of the country’s 13 regions.”
Reuters: “In last Sunday’s European Parliament vote, Syriza trailed New Democracy by about 10 points. New Democracy on the same day also won five out of six regions in the first round of local elections across the country for a prefect, or district governor.”
DW: “Prime Minister Alex Tsipras‘ party picked up less than a quarter of the vote last week, a result that led him to call for snap elections on July 7, three months earlier than scheduled, and crushed his dream of becoming the first Greek prime minister in three decades to see out a full term in office.”
Federico Santi and Mujtaba Rahman, Kathimerini: “Whereas a more limited defeat would have allowed Tsipras to stay on until the end of his term in October and use the next few months to turn the tables, SYRIZA’s underwhelming performance tipped the balance in favor of bringing the election forward, for fear that staying on until October would result in an even worse defeat.”
Helena Smith, The Guardian: “Athens’ youngest mayor: I’m interested in real life, not utopias. Centrist Kostas Bakoyannis says his approach transcends divisions that have long defined Greece”
Austria Snap Parliamentary – September 2019 (approximately)
Jon Stone, The Independent: “Austrian MPs have formally sworn in the country’s first woman leader after her predecessor was ousted over a video sting scandal. Brigitte Bierlein will be interim chancellor until the country holds early elections by the end of September this year.”
Associated Press: “The 69-year-old Brigitte Bierlein, previously the head of Austria‘s top court, will lead a Cabinet of non-partisan experts.”
Lili Bayer, Politico: “Sebastian Kurz may have just lost a vote of confidence, but new polls show he could ultimately end up Austria’s chancellor again.”
Poland Parliamentary – November 2019
Associated Press: “Poland is celebrating 30 years since elections that ended communist rule in the country — but political leaders are divided over that legacy.”
RFE/RL: “Donald Tusk, a former prime minister who is now head of the European Council, told a June 4 rally in the Baltic port of Gdansk that the 1989 vote was a landmark event in European history. ‘Poland showed to Europe and to the whole world that you can build a democracy without violence or bloodshed,’ said Tusk, who was an activist in the Solidarity labor movement. He cited another anniversary– the Tiananmen Square massacre in China– to contrast Poland’s largely peaceful transition away from communism.”
Marc Santora, New York Times: “Today Poland is split between supporters of the nationalist, autocratic model of the ruling party, and those favoring the ideals of liberal democracy embodied in the European Union. Elections later this year could decide which path the country pursues. The government and its opponents both know that Poland’s decision for its future will be influenced by the narrative of its past. The anniversary has intensified a struggle to shape the nation’s historical memory.”
Marek Strzelecki and Wojciech Moskwa, Bloomberg: “Populist parties across much of Europe may have failed to live up to expectations in last month’s voting for the European Parliament. Yet Law & Justice recorded a landslide victory, taking 45% of the vote.” (The united opposition got 38 percent of the vote)
Aleks Szczerbiak, LSE’s EUROPP: “The right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) grouping, Poland’s ruling party since 2015, won the May European Parliament (EP) election securing 45% of the votes and 27 seats, ahead of the European Coalition (KE) – an electoral alliance formed specifically to contest the EP poll led by the liberal-centrist Civic Platform (PO), the country’s governing party between 2007-15 and currently the main opposition grouping – which won 38% and 22 seats respectively. This provides Law and Justice with a major psychological and strategic boost ahead of the country’s autumn parliamentary poll, which could be the most important and consequential since the collapse of communism in 1989.”
Dorota Bartyzel and Marek Strzelecki, Bloomberg: “Poland’s prime minister shuffled his cabinet following a landslide victory in European elections, shouldering more responsibility as he eyes another triumph in this fall’s parliamentary vote.”
Czech Republic General – October 2021
Marc Santora, New York Times: “What started six weeks ago as a relatively contained protest — over the appointment of a justice minister many believe will protect Prime Minister Andrej Babis from potential fraud charges — has grown into something broader and possibly harder to control. Organizers said Tuesday that as many as 120,000 people had attended the protest, a count that would make it one of Prague’s largest demonstrations since 1989.”
James Shorter, Financial Times: “However others remain sceptical that the furore will undermine Mr Babis’s hold on power. His Ano party emerged as the biggest grouping from last month’s European elections, and Mr Babis remains the country’s most popular politician.”
United Kingdom Parliamentary – May 2022 (but snap possible)
Zoya Sheftalovich, Politico: “The pro-Remain Liberal Democrats would win a U.K. general election if it were held now, according to a new YouGov pollfor the Times newspaper. The Lib Dems would win 24 percent of the vote, closely followed by Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party on 22 percent, relegating the ruling Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party into tied third place with 19 percent of the vote each.”
Italy Parliamentary – March 2023 (snap possible)
Willem Marx, CNBC: “During the recent European parliamentary elections, Italy saw a significant reframing of its government’s political dynamics.”
AFP: “Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday he was ready to resign unless the two parties in the governing populist coalition — the League and the Five Star Movement — stopped squabbling.”
Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian: “[Conte] said he was unsure how long the government would last, while insisting that for as long as it stayed together, EU financial rules must be respected. Italy could soon face an EU infringement procedure for failing to reduce its debt….Salvini has repeatedly pledged to challenge EU deficit rules in order to include a flat tax in Italy’s 2020 budget. The budget is negotiated during the autumn period, so if the government falls and no alternative parliamentary majority is found, elections would need to take place by September.”
John Follain and Lorenzo Totaro, Bloomberg: “Matteo Salvini, whose League soared in last month’s European parliamentary elections, would stand to make sharp gains if new elections were held. Salvini and Luigi Di Maio of Five Star have called the shots during the government’s stormy first year in office, each serving as a deputy premier.”
Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times: “Italy’s liberal opposition has argued that the coalition is unable to focus on the business of government, leading to the erasure of Italy’s minuscule growth, an erosion of international investor confidence, and political isolation in Europe.”
Past Elections
Belgium Parliamentary, Regional, European – May 26, 2019
Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times: “A clear vote of no confidence in prime minister Charles Michel’s outgoing government coalition in the weekend’s triple election – regional, national and European – has again raised the prospect of Belgium breaking new records for surviving without a government. Its current 541-day record in 2010-11 has been surpassed in the democratic world only by the Northern IrelandAssembly (now suspended for 28 months).”
Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian: “The leader of Flanders’ far-right separatist party has had an audience with the king of Belgium for the first time in the modern political era. According to Belgian media, 1936 was the last time a far-right leader held an official meeting with the king.”
BBC: “Until recently, the party has operated on the fringe of Belgian politics and the monarchy has refused to meet with its leaders. However on Sunday, Vlaams Belang gained the second-highest number of votes in national elections and took 18 seats in the country’s federal parliament – up from three previously.”
Carmen Paun, Politico: “The king selected current liberal Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders and former Socialist Deputy Prime Minister Johan Vande Lanotte as so-called informateurs, tasking them with identifying the challenges facing Belgium ‘and the opportunities and conditions needed to form a federal government,’ the Belgian Royal Palace tweeted.”
Germany European Parliament and Various State Elections – May 26, 2019
Sam Meredith, CNBC: “Angela Merkel’s future in doubt as Germany’s coalition partners hold crisis talks
DW: “Germany’s Green Party has, for the first time, outperformed Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats in a poll. While the Greens made major gains, larger parties took a drubbing in last weekend’s European elections.”
Peter Kuras, Foreign Policy: “German Politics Discovers YouTube: A blue-haired 20-something music-mashup influencer has sent Angela Merkel’s party into a tailspin.”
Spain Regional and Municipal (at the same time as European) – May 26, 2019
Carlos E. Cué, El Pais: “In wake of inconclusive elections, key governments are still up for grabs in Spain. Center-right Ciudadanos is under growing pressure not to do deals with the far-right Vox, which could allow the left to form a government in the Madrid region and elsewhere.”
Finland Parliamentary – April 14, 2019
Richard Milne, Financial Times: “Antti Rinne, leader of the Social Democrats, defied expectations of tricky government formation talks after April’s closely fought elections by unveiling a coalition involving the centre-right Centre party of outgoing premier Juha Sipila, alongside his centre-left allies. He is set to assume his new role this month, and will be country’s first leftwing prime minister in 16 years.”
EU Observer: ‘The Greens, one of the biggest winners in April’s elections, will get the foreign and environment minister posts. Finland takes over the EU presidency from 1 July.”
Europe This Week – June 5, 2019
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Last Updated: June 15, 2019 by 21votes
June 5, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election and political news from a different region of the world. We explore Europe on Wednesdays. Click the map pins.
Denmark Parliamentary - June 5, 2019
Anne Sophie Hoffmann, DW: “Denmark’s left heads right in general election”
Martin Selsoe Sorensen, New York Times: “Denmark Faces an Election Fueled by Anger on Climate and Immigration”
The Economist: “Under left or right, Denmark is set to adopt ever harsher policies against migrants: The Social Democrats are likely to win the election by wooing the anti-foreigner vote”
Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press: “A look at what is at stake in Denmark’s general election”
Michael Barrett, TheLocal.dk: “Why Denmark’s electoral system means a Quran-burning extremist could enter parliament”
Chris Harris, Euronews: “Denmark general election 2019: All you need to know to understand the vote”
Albania Local - June 30, 2019
Llazar Semini, Associated Press: “Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters took to the streets again Sunday to demand new elections despite repeated calls from Western powers to sit down for talks. At least seven police officers and a demonstrator were injured in scattered violence during the protest.”
Gjergi Erebara, Balkan Insight: “The opposition parties have vowed to boycott the forthcoming local elections and in most municipalities only a single candidate is standing for mayor. While calling for dialogue, Rama has refused to discuss postponing the elections. The opposition has said it will not allow elections to take place on that date. Observers have warned of a potential showdown as election day approaches, with the risk of further escalation.”
Greece Snap Parliamentary - July 7, 2019 (following local and European elections on May 26 and local runoffs on June 2)
AFP: “Alexis Tsipras’ ruling left under threat as conservatives sweep Greek local elections. Conservative opposition New Democracy party candidates look likely to have won 11 of the country’s 13 regions.”
Reuters: “In last Sunday’s European Parliament vote, Syriza trailed New Democracy by about 10 points. New Democracy on the same day also won five out of six regions in the first round of local elections across the country for a prefect, or district governor.”
DW: “Prime Minister Alex Tsipras‘ party picked up less than a quarter of the vote last week, a result that led him to call for snap elections on July 7, three months earlier than scheduled, and crushed his dream of becoming the first Greek prime minister in three decades to see out a full term in office.”
Federico Santi and Mujtaba Rahman, Kathimerini: “Whereas a more limited defeat would have allowed Tsipras to stay on until the end of his term in October and use the next few months to turn the tables, SYRIZA’s underwhelming performance tipped the balance in favor of bringing the election forward, for fear that staying on until October would result in an even worse defeat.”
Helena Smith, The Guardian: “Athens’ youngest mayor: I’m interested in real life, not utopias. Centrist Kostas Bakoyannis says his approach transcends divisions that have long defined Greece”
Austria Snap Parliamentary - September 2019 (approximately)
Jon Stone, The Independent: “Austrian MPs have formally sworn in the country’s first woman leader after her predecessor was ousted over a video sting scandal. Brigitte Bierlein will be interim chancellor until the country holds early elections by the end of September this year.”
Associated Press: “The 69-year-old Brigitte Bierlein, previously the head of Austria‘s top court, will lead a Cabinet of non-partisan experts.”
Lili Bayer, Politico: “Sebastian Kurz may have just lost a vote of confidence, but new polls show he could ultimately end up Austria’s chancellor again.”
Poland Parliamentary - November 2019
Associated Press: “Poland is celebrating 30 years since elections that ended communist rule in the country — but political leaders are divided over that legacy.”
RFE/RL: “Donald Tusk, a former prime minister who is now head of the European Council, told a June 4 rally in the Baltic port of Gdansk that the 1989 vote was a landmark event in European history. ‘Poland showed to Europe and to the whole world that you can build a democracy without violence or bloodshed,’ said Tusk, who was an activist in the Solidarity labor movement. He cited another anniversary– the Tiananmen Square massacre in China– to contrast Poland’s largely peaceful transition away from communism.”
Marc Santora, New York Times: “Today Poland is split between supporters of the nationalist, autocratic model of the ruling party, and those favoring the ideals of liberal democracy embodied in the European Union. Elections later this year could decide which path the country pursues. The government and its opponents both know that Poland’s decision for its future will be influenced by the narrative of its past. The anniversary has intensified a struggle to shape the nation’s historical memory.”
Marek Strzelecki and Wojciech Moskwa, Bloomberg: “Populist parties across much of Europe may have failed to live up to expectations in last month’s voting for the European Parliament. Yet Law & Justice recorded a landslide victory, taking 45% of the vote.” (The united opposition got 38 percent of the vote)
Aleks Szczerbiak, LSE’s EUROPP: “The right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) grouping, Poland’s ruling party since 2015, won the May European Parliament (EP) election securing 45% of the votes and 27 seats, ahead of the European Coalition (KE) – an electoral alliance formed specifically to contest the EP poll led by the liberal-centrist Civic Platform (PO), the country’s governing party between 2007-15 and currently the main opposition grouping – which won 38% and 22 seats respectively. This provides Law and Justice with a major psychological and strategic boost ahead of the country’s autumn parliamentary poll, which could be the most important and consequential since the collapse of communism in 1989.”
Dorota Bartyzel and Marek Strzelecki, Bloomberg: “Poland’s prime minister shuffled his cabinet following a landslide victory in European elections, shouldering more responsibility as he eyes another triumph in this fall’s parliamentary vote.”
Italy Parliamentary - March 2023 (snap possible)
Willem Marx, CNBC: “During the recent European parliamentary elections, Italy saw a significant reframing of its government’s political dynamics.”
AFP: “Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday he was ready to resign unless the two parties in the governing populist coalition — the League and the Five Star Movement — stopped squabbling.”
Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian: “[Conte] said he was unsure how long the government would last, while insisting that for as long as it stayed together, EU financial rules must be respected. Italy could soon face an EU infringement procedure for failing to reduce its debt….Salvini has repeatedly pledged to challenge EU deficit rules in order to include a flat tax in Italy’s 2020 budget. The budget is negotiated during the autumn period, so if the government falls and no alternative parliamentary majority is found, elections would need to take place by September.”
John Follain and Lorenzo Totaro, Bloomberg: “Matteo Salvini, whose League soared in last month’s European parliamentary elections, would stand to make sharp gains if new elections were held. Salvini and Luigi Di Maio of Five Star have called the shots during the government’s stormy first year in office, each serving as a deputy premier.”
Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times: “Italy’s liberal opposition has argued that the coalition is unable to focus on the business of government, leading to the erasure of Italy’s minuscule growth, an erosion of international investor confidence, and political isolation in Europe.”
Czech Republic General - October 2021
Marc Santora, New York Times: “What started six weeks ago as a relatively contained protest — over the appointment of a justice minister many believe will protect Prime Minister Andrej Babis from potential fraud charges — has grown into something broader and possibly harder to control. Organizers said Tuesday that as many as 120,000 people had attended the protest, a count that would make it one of Prague’s largest demonstrations since 1989.”
James Shorter, Financial Times: “However others remain sceptical that the furore will undermine Mr Babis’s hold on power. His Ano party emerged as the biggest grouping from last month’s European elections, and Mr Babis remains the country’s most popular politician.”
Belgium Parliamentary, Regional, European - May 26, 2019
Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times: “A clear vote of no confidence in prime minister Charles Michel’s outgoing government coalition in the weekend’s triple election – regional, national and European – has again raised the prospect of Belgium breaking new records for surviving without a government. Its current 541-day record in 2010-11 has been surpassed in the democratic world only by the Northern IrelandAssembly (now suspended for 28 months).”
Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian: “The leader of Flanders’ far-right separatist party has had an audience with the king of Belgium for the first time in the modern political era. According to Belgian media, 1936 was the last time a far-right leader held an official meeting with the king.”
BBC: “Until recently, the party has operated on the fringe of Belgian politics and the monarchy has refused to meet with its leaders. However on Sunday, Vlaams Belang gained the second-highest number of votes in national elections and took 18 seats in the country’s federal parliament – up from three previously.”
Carmen Paun, Politico: “The king selected current liberal Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders and former Socialist Deputy Prime Minister Johan Vande Lanotte as so-called informateurs, tasking them with identifying the challenges facing Belgium ‘and the opportunities and conditions needed to form a federal government,’ the Belgian Royal Palace tweeted.”
Germany European Parliament and Various State Elections - May 26, 2019
Sam Meredith, CNBC: “Angela Merkel’s future in doubt as Germany’s coalition partners hold crisis talks
DW: “Germany’s Green Party has, for the first time, outperformed Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats in a poll. While the Greens made major gains, larger parties took a drubbing in last weekend’s European elections.”
Peter Kuras, Foreign Policy: “German Politics Discovers YouTube: A blue-haired 20-something music-mashup influencer has sent Angela Merkel’s party into a tailspin.”
Spain Regional and Municipal (at the same time as European) - May 26, 2019
Carlos E. Cué, El Pais: “In wake of inconclusive elections, key governments are still up for grabs in Spain. Center-right Ciudadanos is under growing pressure not to do deals with the far-right Vox, which could allow the left to form a government in the Madrid region and elsewhere.”
Finland Parliamentary - April 14, 2019
Richard Milne, Financial Times: “Antti Rinne, leader of the Social Democrats, defied expectations of tricky government formation talks after April’s closely fought elections by unveiling a coalition involving the centre-right Centre party of outgoing premier Juha Sipila, alongside his centre-left allies. He is set to assume his new role this month, and will be country’s first leftwing prime minister in 16 years.”
EU Observer: ‘The Greens, one of the biggest winners in April’s elections, will get the foreign and environment minister posts. Finland takes over the EU presidency from 1 July.”
Upcoming Elections
Denmark Parliamentary – June 5, 2019
Anne Sophie Hoffmann, DW: “Denmark’s left heads right in general election”
Martin Selsoe Sorensen, New York Times: “Denmark Faces an Election Fueled by Anger on Climate and Immigration”
The Economist: “Under left or right, Denmark is set to adopt ever harsher policies against migrants: The Social Democrats are likely to win the election by wooing the anti-foreigner vote”
Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press: “A look at what is at stake in Denmark’s general election”
Michael Barrett, TheLocal.dk: “Why Denmark’s electoral system means a Quran-burning extremist could enter parliament”
Chris Harris, Euronews: “Denmark general election 2019: All you need to know to understand the vote”
Albania Local – June 30, 2019
Llazar Semini, Associated Press: “Thousands of Albanian opposition supporters took to the streets again Sunday to demand new elections despite repeated calls from Western powers to sit down for talks. At least seven police officers and a demonstrator were injured in scattered violence during the protest.”
Gjergi Erebara, Balkan Insight: “The opposition parties have vowed to boycott the forthcoming local elections and in most municipalities only a single candidate is standing for mayor. While calling for dialogue, Rama has refused to discuss postponing the elections. The opposition has said it will not allow elections to take place on that date. Observers have warned of a potential showdown as election day approaches, with the risk of further escalation.”
Greece Snap Parliamentary – July 7, 2019 (following local and European elections on May 26 and local runoffs on June 2)
AFP: “Alexis Tsipras’ ruling left under threat as conservatives sweep Greek local elections. Conservative opposition New Democracy party candidates look likely to have won 11 of the country’s 13 regions.”
Reuters: “In last Sunday’s European Parliament vote, Syriza trailed New Democracy by about 10 points. New Democracy on the same day also won five out of six regions in the first round of local elections across the country for a prefect, or district governor.”
DW: “Prime Minister Alex Tsipras‘ party picked up less than a quarter of the vote last week, a result that led him to call for snap elections on July 7, three months earlier than scheduled, and crushed his dream of becoming the first Greek prime minister in three decades to see out a full term in office.”
Federico Santi and Mujtaba Rahman, Kathimerini: “Whereas a more limited defeat would have allowed Tsipras to stay on until the end of his term in October and use the next few months to turn the tables, SYRIZA’s underwhelming performance tipped the balance in favor of bringing the election forward, for fear that staying on until October would result in an even worse defeat.”
Helena Smith, The Guardian: “Athens’ youngest mayor: I’m interested in real life, not utopias. Centrist Kostas Bakoyannis says his approach transcends divisions that have long defined Greece”
Austria Snap Parliamentary – September 2019 (approximately)
Jon Stone, The Independent: “Austrian MPs have formally sworn in the country’s first woman leader after her predecessor was ousted over a video sting scandal. Brigitte Bierlein will be interim chancellor until the country holds early elections by the end of September this year.”
Associated Press: “The 69-year-old Brigitte Bierlein, previously the head of Austria‘s top court, will lead a Cabinet of non-partisan experts.”
Lili Bayer, Politico: “Sebastian Kurz may have just lost a vote of confidence, but new polls show he could ultimately end up Austria’s chancellor again.”
Poland Parliamentary – November 2019
Associated Press: “Poland is celebrating 30 years since elections that ended communist rule in the country — but political leaders are divided over that legacy.”
RFE/RL: “Donald Tusk, a former prime minister who is now head of the European Council, told a June 4 rally in the Baltic port of Gdansk that the 1989 vote was a landmark event in European history. ‘Poland showed to Europe and to the whole world that you can build a democracy without violence or bloodshed,’ said Tusk, who was an activist in the Solidarity labor movement. He cited another anniversary– the Tiananmen Square massacre in China– to contrast Poland’s largely peaceful transition away from communism.”
Marc Santora, New York Times: “Today Poland is split between supporters of the nationalist, autocratic model of the ruling party, and those favoring the ideals of liberal democracy embodied in the European Union. Elections later this year could decide which path the country pursues. The government and its opponents both know that Poland’s decision for its future will be influenced by the narrative of its past. The anniversary has intensified a struggle to shape the nation’s historical memory.”
Marek Strzelecki and Wojciech Moskwa, Bloomberg: “Populist parties across much of Europe may have failed to live up to expectations in last month’s voting for the European Parliament. Yet Law & Justice recorded a landslide victory, taking 45% of the vote.” (The united opposition got 38 percent of the vote)
Aleks Szczerbiak, LSE’s EUROPP: “The right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) grouping, Poland’s ruling party since 2015, won the May European Parliament (EP) election securing 45% of the votes and 27 seats, ahead of the European Coalition (KE) – an electoral alliance formed specifically to contest the EP poll led by the liberal-centrist Civic Platform (PO), the country’s governing party between 2007-15 and currently the main opposition grouping – which won 38% and 22 seats respectively. This provides Law and Justice with a major psychological and strategic boost ahead of the country’s autumn parliamentary poll, which could be the most important and consequential since the collapse of communism in 1989.”
Dorota Bartyzel and Marek Strzelecki, Bloomberg: “Poland’s prime minister shuffled his cabinet following a landslide victory in European elections, shouldering more responsibility as he eyes another triumph in this fall’s parliamentary vote.”
Czech Republic General – October 2021
Marc Santora, New York Times: “What started six weeks ago as a relatively contained protest — over the appointment of a justice minister many believe will protect Prime Minister Andrej Babis from potential fraud charges — has grown into something broader and possibly harder to control. Organizers said Tuesday that as many as 120,000 people had attended the protest, a count that would make it one of Prague’s largest demonstrations since 1989.”
James Shorter, Financial Times: “However others remain sceptical that the furore will undermine Mr Babis’s hold on power. His Ano party emerged as the biggest grouping from last month’s European elections, and Mr Babis remains the country’s most popular politician.”
United Kingdom Parliamentary – May 2022 (but snap possible)
Zoya Sheftalovich, Politico: “The pro-Remain Liberal Democrats would win a U.K. general election if it were held now, according to a new YouGov pollfor the Times newspaper. The Lib Dems would win 24 percent of the vote, closely followed by Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party on 22 percent, relegating the ruling Conservative Party and opposition Labour Party into tied third place with 19 percent of the vote each.”
Italy Parliamentary – March 2023 (snap possible)
Willem Marx, CNBC: “During the recent European parliamentary elections, Italy saw a significant reframing of its government’s political dynamics.”
AFP: “Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Monday he was ready to resign unless the two parties in the governing populist coalition — the League and the Five Star Movement — stopped squabbling.”
Angela Giuffrida, The Guardian: “[Conte] said he was unsure how long the government would last, while insisting that for as long as it stayed together, EU financial rules must be respected. Italy could soon face an EU infringement procedure for failing to reduce its debt….Salvini has repeatedly pledged to challenge EU deficit rules in order to include a flat tax in Italy’s 2020 budget. The budget is negotiated during the autumn period, so if the government falls and no alternative parliamentary majority is found, elections would need to take place by September.”
John Follain and Lorenzo Totaro, Bloomberg: “Matteo Salvini, whose League soared in last month’s European parliamentary elections, would stand to make sharp gains if new elections were held. Salvini and Luigi Di Maio of Five Star have called the shots during the government’s stormy first year in office, each serving as a deputy premier.”
Jason Horowitz and Elisabetta Povoledo, New York Times: “Italy’s liberal opposition has argued that the coalition is unable to focus on the business of government, leading to the erasure of Italy’s minuscule growth, an erosion of international investor confidence, and political isolation in Europe.”
Past Elections
Belgium Parliamentary, Regional, European – May 26, 2019
Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times: “A clear vote of no confidence in prime minister Charles Michel’s outgoing government coalition in the weekend’s triple election – regional, national and European – has again raised the prospect of Belgium breaking new records for surviving without a government. Its current 541-day record in 2010-11 has been surpassed in the democratic world only by the Northern IrelandAssembly (now suspended for 28 months).”
Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian: “The leader of Flanders’ far-right separatist party has had an audience with the king of Belgium for the first time in the modern political era. According to Belgian media, 1936 was the last time a far-right leader held an official meeting with the king.”
BBC: “Until recently, the party has operated on the fringe of Belgian politics and the monarchy has refused to meet with its leaders. However on Sunday, Vlaams Belang gained the second-highest number of votes in national elections and took 18 seats in the country’s federal parliament – up from three previously.”
Carmen Paun, Politico: “The king selected current liberal Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders and former Socialist Deputy Prime Minister Johan Vande Lanotte as so-called informateurs, tasking them with identifying the challenges facing Belgium ‘and the opportunities and conditions needed to form a federal government,’ the Belgian Royal Palace tweeted.”
Germany European Parliament and Various State Elections – May 26, 2019
Sam Meredith, CNBC: “Angela Merkel’s future in doubt as Germany’s coalition partners hold crisis talks
DW: “Germany’s Green Party has, for the first time, outperformed Angela Merkel’s ruling Christian Democrats in a poll. While the Greens made major gains, larger parties took a drubbing in last weekend’s European elections.”
Peter Kuras, Foreign Policy: “German Politics Discovers YouTube: A blue-haired 20-something music-mashup influencer has sent Angela Merkel’s party into a tailspin.”
Spain Regional and Municipal (at the same time as European) – May 26, 2019
Carlos E. Cué, El Pais: “In wake of inconclusive elections, key governments are still up for grabs in Spain. Center-right Ciudadanos is under growing pressure not to do deals with the far-right Vox, which could allow the left to form a government in the Madrid region and elsewhere.”
Finland Parliamentary – April 14, 2019
Richard Milne, Financial Times: “Antti Rinne, leader of the Social Democrats, defied expectations of tricky government formation talks after April’s closely fought elections by unveiling a coalition involving the centre-right Centre party of outgoing premier Juha Sipila, alongside his centre-left allies. He is set to assume his new role this month, and will be country’s first leftwing prime minister in 16 years.”
EU Observer: ‘The Greens, one of the biggest winners in April’s elections, will get the foreign and environment minister posts. Finland takes over the EU presidency from 1 July.”
A Solidarity campaign leaflet from Poland’s first free elections, which took place on June 4, 1989. The leaflet lists Solidarity’s candidates in Poznan. Photo: Public Domain
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Category: This Week Tags: Albania, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, United Kingdom