Upcoming Elections
Germany State Elections – September 1, 2019 (Saxony and Brandenburg) and October 27, 2019 (Thuringia)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Germany has a federal system with 16 Länder (states) that each have their own constitution, parliament (Landtag) and state government. The states have autonomy over internal policy, but do not have their own tax authority, and political parties are quite centralized at the federal level. Three states in the east hold elections this year: Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia. Brandenburg is currently governed by a coalition of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the populist Left (die Linke). Saxony has a grand coalition of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to do well in all three state elections in the east this year. AfD won the most votes in Brandenburg in the European Parliament elections this year. It beat CDU in Saxony, and came close in Thuringia.
However, AfD did not succeed in winning its first mayoral contest. In a closely-watched mayoral election in Görlitz (nicknamed Görliwood because many films have been shot there), in Saxony, when CDU, the Greens, and SPD teamed up to defeat the AfD candidate in the runoff.
Editorial Board, Financial Times: “Bad results in Saxony and two other eastern states — Brandenburg on September 1 and Thuringia on October 27 — would put the SPD under intense pressure to pull out of the ‘grand coalition’ in Berlin. Early Bundestag elections might then follow.”
Judith Mischke, Politico: “Home of German leftist politician attacked with explosive device. No one was harmed in the attack against the house of a city councilor in Saxony.”
Jeffrey Gedmin, Brookings Institution: “Right-wing populism in Germany: Muslims and minorities after the 2015 refugee crisis”
Daniel Heinrich, DW: “Germany’s Muslims feel increasingly threatened after a number of recent bomb scares at mosques. Now, the heads of the country’s leading Muslim associations want the government to take protective action.”
Thomas Rogers, New York Times: “Demands of Far-Right Party Unsettle Artists in Germany The anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany wants to know the nationalities of artists employed by state theaters, and cultural organizations are worried.”
The Economist: “Germany’s far right: strong in the east, weak in the west: ’Ossi’ nationalists paint the west as a caliphate”
Ben Knight, DW: “The former head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has been accused of courting the far right. Hans-Georg Maassen is the noisiest member of the conservative wing of Angela Merkel’s CDU.”
Oliver Moody, The Times: “Frankenstein pact puts AfD in coalition: A married couple have run into trouble for forging the first local pact between Angela Merkel’s party and the ultranationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in defiance of the chancellor.”
Austria Snap Parliamentary – September 29, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Austria’s government fell in a no-confidence vote – the first in Austria’s history – in May following the “Ibiza-gate” scandal involving the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), which had been part of the coalition headed by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache was filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza offering state contracts in exchange for money to a woman who claimed to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. New elections will take place in September.
AFP: “Austrian prosecutors are probing a staffer of former chancellor Sebastian Kurz on suspicion of shredding evidence, possibly linked to the scandal that brought down the government in May, media reports and an official said over the weekend.”
OCCRP: “The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, GRECO, said on Wednesday that Austria should show more ambition in implementing its recommendations on measures to prevent corruption in the parliament and the judiciary.”
Kosovo Snap Parliamentary – Expected Fall 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Emerging Europe: “Kosovo looks set for a snap election in September following the resignation on July 19 of the country’s prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj. Mr Haradinaj, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), resigned after being summonsed to face a special war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Most of the country’s major political parties support elections rather than forming a new government.”
The Economist: “Kosovo’s prime minister faces war-crimes allegations. But do not write off Ramush Haradinaj’s career just yet”
Bardh Krasniqi and Ivana Sekularac, Reuters: “Kosovo ex-PM will run for office if he’s not indicted for war crimes”
Eraldin Fazliu, Pristina Insight: “678 days of Ramush Haradinaj: Prishtina Insight provides a brief rundown of Ramush Haradinaj’s 678 days of governance and the decisions that will have profound effects on Kosovo’s future.”
Hungary Local – October 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free (downgraded from Free this year) – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has become increasingly authoritarian. Nonetheless, the party has been on a winning streak. In the April 2018 parliamentary elections, Fidesz won a third supermajority, and the party won 52 percent of the vote in this year’s European Parliament elections. While the party has historically been a member of the center-right European People’s Party, it has in recent years become populist and nationalist, but with left-wing economic policies. Orbán has pushed the idea of “illiberal democracy.” The local elections will not change the national government, but if the opposition can unite and put in a strong showing, it will reduce Fidesz’s stranglehold on the country’s politics.
In June 2019, the Hungarian opposition united to hold the country’s first-ever formal primary to choose a candidate for mayor of Budapest. Sociologist Gergely Karácsony will take on incumbent István Tarlós, who is backed by Orban. However, opposition parties are divided on whether to back Karácsony or run their own candidates.
Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters: “EU takes Hungary to court for criminalizing help for asylum seekers”
Valerie Hopkins, Financial Times: “Hungary’s Viktor Orban and the rewriting of history”
Poland Parliamentary – Expected October/November 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Poland’s right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) came to power in the 2015 elections, winning a majority, a first for a Polish political party in a free election. The party has been criticized for its increasingly authoritarian tendencies, but it nonetheless won a massive victory in this year’s European Parliament elections. The country is highly polarized, and upcoming parliamentary elections will be crucial in determining the country’s future course.
Joanna Plucinska and Angelika Meczkowska, Reuters: “Poland’s main opposition parties have formed two coalition blocs to vie for left-leaning and centrist votes ahead of a national election later this year, in the hope of denting the popularity of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.”
Monika Pronczuk and Evon Huber, Financial Times: “Poland’s opposition struggles for traction in rural heartlands: Ruling party’s social programmes put Civic Platform in shade”
Agnieszka Dudzińska Michał Kotnarowski, Brookings Institution: “Imaginary Muslims: How Poland’s populists frame Islam”
Rick Noack, Washington Post: “[Law and Justice’s] new focus on countering what its officials call Western ‘LGBT ideology’ has largely replaced its prior rallying cries against migrants, said Michal Bilewicz, a researcher at the University of Warsaw who tracks the prevalence of prejudices against minorities in public discourse.”
Romania Presidential – November 10, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Since communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fell in 1989, Romania has become a free democracy but politics are volatile – the office of the prime minister has changed hands eight times since 2014. Corruption and weak rule of law remain serious problems. Liviu Dragnea, head of the governing left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD), is currently in prison for abuse of power. PSD only got 23 percent of votes in the May 2019 European Parliament election, half of the support it had in the 2016 parliamentary elections. The 2014 presidential elections handed a surprise victory to Klaus Iohannis, the center-right mayor of Sibiu in Transylvania, who defeated then-Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the runoff. Iohannis plans to run for a second term.
RFE/RL: “Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila will challenge incumbent President Klaus Iohannis for his seat in the November 10 presidential election. The Social Democratic Party, of which Dancila is a member, nominated her on July 23 despite the 55-year-old former European Parliament member having previously said she wouldn’t run.”
Andra Timu and Irina Vilcu, Bloomberg: “Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila plans to run for president in a move that may cause friction within the ruling coalition as her main ally is also considering his candidacy.”
Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian: “’We are watching you’: the 500-day protest against corruption in Romania. Protesters in Sibiu have been staging a daily demonstration outside the ruling PSD party’s HQ”
Bosnia and Herzegovina Local – October 2020
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Aleksandar Brezar, Washington Post: “How Sarajevo’s upcoming Pride march could turn the tables on ethnonationalism”
United Kingdom Parliamentary – May 5, 2022 (early elections possible)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth Realm)
Following Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation at the end of May as Conservative Party leader, the Tories held a leadership election. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, a bombastic Brexiteer, won.
William Booth and Karla Adam, Washington Post: “Theresa May resigns, Boris Johnson becomes U.K. prime minister, in elaborate transition of power”
Jack Blanchard, Politico: “Meet Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet: An Eton-educated man of the people and his band of 22 merry Brexiteers.”
Aleks Eror, World Politics Review: “Can Boris Johnson Survive Contact With Brexit Reality?”
Mark Galeotti, Foreign Policy: “Boris Johnson’s Russian Oligarch Problem”
Past Elections
Greece Snap Parliamentary – July 7, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
After Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing populist Syriza suffered heavy losses during the European Parliament and local elections in May, Tsipras called a snap election. Elections were originally scheduled for October of this year. The center-right New Democracy, headed by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won the most votes in the European elections and won key mayoral contests, and is projected to win the parliamentary polls. Syriza’s coalition partner, the far-right Independent Greeks (Anel), announced that they would not run candidates after winning less than one percent in the European elections.
New Democracy won a majority, and was able to form a government on its own, without coalition partners.
Philip Chrysopoulos, The Greek Reporter: “July 24, 1974: When Democracy Was Restored to Greece”
Paul Tugwell, Bloomberg: “New Greek Leader Unveils Economic Plan in First Policy Speech”
DW: “Greece’s new Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vows growth: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Greece will ease taxes on its citizens while upholding austerity targets set by foreign lenders. The new premier vowed growth plans would be a ‘pleasant surprise for Europe.’”
Albania Local – June 30, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Albania is in the middle of a tense political standoff between Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists and the main opposition center-right Democratic Party, led by Lulzim Basha. All but two MPs from the Democratic Party and one from the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) surrendered their parliamentary mandates in February, and have led a series of protests marred by violence. The opposition demands Rama’s resignation and new elections, and boycotted the local elections. President Ilir Meta cancelled the June 30 local elections and called on parties to reduce political tensions, but Rama proceeded with the polls anyway, and without the participation of the opposition, almost all seats went uncontested.
Agim Nesho, Foreign Policy: “The Trump Administration Is Helping Kill Albania’s Democracy. The State Department’s latest intervention in a European election served nobody’s interests at all.”
Exit Albania: “The Court of Durrës refused to certify the mandate of the Socialist Party (PS) mayor-elect Valbona Sako following the June 30 local. Judge Mimoza Gjekmarkaj decided that Sako’s mandate was irregular due to the illegal participation in elections of the Democratic Conviction (BD – Bindja Demokratike) party.”
Gjergi Erebara, Balkan Insight: “Albania Anti-Defamation Laws Condemned as ‘Censorship Package’: Ten Albanian human rights organisations on Friday denounced a government proposal to ‘regulate’ the online media as a ‘censorship package’ without precedent in a democratic country.”
Frida Ghitis, World Politics Review: “Will the Presence of Iran’s MEK Threaten Albania’s Already Shaky Stability?”
Spain Snap Parliamentary – April 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
The incumbent Socialists won the April snap elections, which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called after failing to pass a budget. The far-right Vox won seats, the first time the far-right has been in parliament since Spain became a democracy (Vox also won seats in Andalusia’s regional elections in December, the first time for the far-right to enter any Spanish legislative body in the history of Spanish democracy).
Carlos E. Cué, El País: “Fear of fresh election could produce last-minute governing deal in Spain. Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s first bid to form a government failed on Tuesday, with another key vote in Congress due to take place [July 25].”
Estonia Parliamentary – March 3, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Estonia is the poster child for post-communist success. Kaja Kallas’ liberal Reform Party won Estonia’s March 2019 elections to the Riigikogu (parliament), but Prime Minister Juri Ratas pulled together a coalition with his Centre Party, the conservative Isamaa (Fatherland), and the far-right nationalist Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), despite having promised before the election that he would not do a deal with EKRE. The Centre Party is nominally liberal but actually pro-Kremlin (the party is a member of Renew Europe, the European party formerly known as the Alliance of Liberals and Democrat in Europe, and also has a cooperation protocol with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia). The newly-formed liberal Estonia 200 did not win any seats. EKRE doubled its support from the previous elections and leader Mart Helme and his son Martin were both made ministers in the new government. They both flashed a white supremacist hand gesture at their swearing-in.
Benjamin Bathke, Foreign Policy: “Estonia Battles Its Elected Racists: Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid speaks on how to stand up against the far-right.”
Europe This Week – July 24, 2019
Leave a Comment
Last Updated: August 1, 2019 by 21votes
July 24, 2019
Each day, 21votes gathers election news, analysis, and opinions from a different region of the world. We explore Europe on Wednesdays. Click the map pins.
Germany State Elections – September 1, 2019 (Saxony and Brandenburg) and October 27, 2019 (Thuringia)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Germany has a federal system with 16 Länder (states) that each have their own constitution, parliament (Landtag) and state government. The states have autonomy over internal policy, but do not have their own tax authority, and political parties are quite centralized at the federal level. Three states in the east hold elections this year: Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia. Brandenburg is currently governed by a coalition of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the populist Left (die Linke). Saxony has a grand coalition of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to do well in all three state elections in the east this year. AfD won the most votes in Brandenburg in the European Parliament elections this year. It beat CDU in Saxony, and came close in Thuringia.
However, AfD did not succeed in winning its first mayoral contest. In a closely-watched mayoral election in Görlitz (nicknamed Görliwood because many films have been shot there), in Saxony, when CDU, the Greens, and SPD teamed up to defeat the AfD candidate in the runoff.
Austria Snap Parliamentary – September 29, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Austria’s government fell in a no-confidence vote – the first in Austria’s history – in May following the “Ibiza-gate” scandal involving the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), which had been part of the coalition headed by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache was filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza offering state contracts in exchange for money to a woman who claimed to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. New elections will take place in September.
Kosovo Snap Parliamentary - Expected Fall 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Hungary Local – October 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free (downgraded from Free this year) – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has become increasingly authoritarian. Nonetheless, the party has been on a winning streak. In the April 2018 parliamentary elections, Fidesz won a third supermajority, and the party won 52 percent of the vote in this year’s European Parliament elections. While the party has historically been a member of the center-right European People’s Party, it has in recent years become populist and nationalist, but with left-wing economic policies. Orbán has pushed the idea of “illiberal democracy.” The local elections will not change the national government, but if the opposition can unite and put in a strong showing, it will reduce Fidesz’s stranglehold on the country’s politics.
In June 2019, the Hungarian opposition united to hold the country’s first-ever formal primary to choose a candidate for mayor of Budapest. Sociologist Gergely Karácsony will take on incumbent István Tarlós, who is backed by Orban. However, opposition parties are divided on whether to back Karácsony or run their own candidates.
Poland Parliamentary – Expected October/November 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Poland’s right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) came to power in the 2015 elections, winning a majority, a first for a Polish political party in a free election. The party has been criticized for its increasingly authoritarian tendencies, but it nonetheless won a massive victory in this year’s European Parliament elections. The country is highly polarized, and upcoming parliamentary elections will be crucial in determining the country’s future course.
Romania Presidential – November 10, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Since communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fell in 1989, Romania has become a free democracy but politics are volatile – the office of the prime minister has changed hands eight times since 2014. Corruption and weak rule of law remain serious problems. Liviu Dragnea, head of the governing left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD), is currently in prison for abuse of power. PSD only got 23 percent of votes in the May 2019 European Parliament election, half of the support it had in the 2016 parliamentary elections. The 2014 presidential elections handed a surprise victory to Klaus Iohannis, the center-right mayor of Sibiu in Transylvania, who defeated then-Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the runoff. Iohannis plans to run for a second term.
Bosnia and Herzegovina Local – October 2020
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Greece Snap Parliamentary – July 7, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
After Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing populist Syriza suffered heavy losses during the European Parliament and local elections in May, Tsipras called a snap election. Elections were originally scheduled for October of this year. The center-right New Democracy, headed by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won the most votes in the European elections and won key mayoral contests, and is projected to win the parliamentary polls. Syriza’s coalition partner, the far-right Independent Greeks (Anel), announced that they would not run candidates after winning less than one percent in the European elections.
New Democracy won a majority, and was able to form a government on its own, without coalition partners.
United Kingdom Parliamentary – May 5, 2022 (early elections possible)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth Realm)
Following Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation at the end of May as Conservative Party leader, the Tories held a leadership election. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, a bombastic Brexiteer, won.
Albania Local – June 30, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Albania is in the middle of a tense political standoff between Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists and the main opposition center-right Democratic Party, led by Lulzim Basha. All but two MPs from the Democratic Party and one from the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) surrendered their parliamentary mandates in February, and have led a series of protests marred by violence. The opposition demands Rama’s resignation and new elections, and boycotted the local elections. President Ilir Meta cancelled the June 30 local elections and called on parties to reduce political tensions, but Rama proceeded with the polls anyway, and without the participation of the opposition, almost all seats went uncontested.
Spain Snap Parliamentary – April 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
The incumbent Socialists won the April snap elections, which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called after failing to pass a budget. The far-right Vox won seats, the first time the far-right has been in parliament since Spain became a democracy (Vox also won seats in Andalusia’s regional elections in December, the first time for the far-right to enter any Spanish legislative body in the history of Spanish democracy).
Estonia Parliamentary – March 3, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Estonia is the poster child for post-communist success. Kaja Kallas’ liberal Reform Party won Estonia’s March 2019 elections to the Riigikogu (parliament), but Prime Minister Juri Ratas pulled together a coalition with his Centre Party, the conservative Isamaa (Fatherland), and the far-right nationalist Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), despite having promised before the election that he would not do a deal with EKRE. The Centre Party is nominally liberal but actually pro-Kremlin (the party is a member of Renew Europe, the European party formerly known as the Alliance of Liberals and Democrat in Europe, and also has a cooperation protocol with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia). The newly-formed liberal Estonia 200 did not win any seats. EKRE doubled its support from the previous elections and leader Mart Helme and his son Martin were both made ministers in the new government. They both flashed a white supremacist hand gesture at their swearing-in.
Upcoming Elections
Germany State Elections – September 1, 2019 (Saxony and Brandenburg) and October 27, 2019 (Thuringia)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Germany has a federal system with 16 Länder (states) that each have their own constitution, parliament (Landtag) and state government. The states have autonomy over internal policy, but do not have their own tax authority, and political parties are quite centralized at the federal level. Three states in the east hold elections this year: Brandenburg, Saxony, and Thuringia. Brandenburg is currently governed by a coalition of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the populist Left (die Linke). Saxony has a grand coalition of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD). The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is projected to do well in all three state elections in the east this year. AfD won the most votes in Brandenburg in the European Parliament elections this year. It beat CDU in Saxony, and came close in Thuringia.
However, AfD did not succeed in winning its first mayoral contest. In a closely-watched mayoral election in Görlitz (nicknamed Görliwood because many films have been shot there), in Saxony, when CDU, the Greens, and SPD teamed up to defeat the AfD candidate in the runoff.
Editorial Board, Financial Times: “Bad results in Saxony and two other eastern states — Brandenburg on September 1 and Thuringia on October 27 — would put the SPD under intense pressure to pull out of the ‘grand coalition’ in Berlin. Early Bundestag elections might then follow.”
Judith Mischke, Politico: “Home of German leftist politician attacked with explosive device. No one was harmed in the attack against the house of a city councilor in Saxony.”
Jeffrey Gedmin, Brookings Institution: “Right-wing populism in Germany: Muslims and minorities after the 2015 refugee crisis”
Daniel Heinrich, DW: “Germany’s Muslims feel increasingly threatened after a number of recent bomb scares at mosques. Now, the heads of the country’s leading Muslim associations want the government to take protective action.”
Thomas Rogers, New York Times: “Demands of Far-Right Party Unsettle Artists in Germany The anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany wants to know the nationalities of artists employed by state theaters, and cultural organizations are worried.”
The Economist: “Germany’s far right: strong in the east, weak in the west: ’Ossi’ nationalists paint the west as a caliphate”
Ben Knight, DW: “The former head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has been accused of courting the far right. Hans-Georg Maassen is the noisiest member of the conservative wing of Angela Merkel’s CDU.”
Oliver Moody, The Times: “Frankenstein pact puts AfD in coalition: A married couple have run into trouble for forging the first local pact between Angela Merkel’s party and the ultranationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) in defiance of the chancellor.”
Austria Snap Parliamentary – September 29, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Federal Parliamentary Republic
Austria’s government fell in a no-confidence vote – the first in Austria’s history – in May following the “Ibiza-gate” scandal involving the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), which had been part of the coalition headed by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of the center-right Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP). FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache was filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza offering state contracts in exchange for money to a woman who claimed to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. New elections will take place in September.
AFP: “Austrian prosecutors are probing a staffer of former chancellor Sebastian Kurz on suspicion of shredding evidence, possibly linked to the scandal that brought down the government in May, media reports and an official said over the weekend.”
OCCRP: “The Council of Europe’s anti-corruption body, GRECO, said on Wednesday that Austria should show more ambition in implementing its recommendations on measures to prevent corruption in the parliament and the judiciary.”
Kosovo Snap Parliamentary – Expected Fall 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Emerging Europe: “Kosovo looks set for a snap election in September following the resignation on July 19 of the country’s prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj. Mr Haradinaj, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), resigned after being summonsed to face a special war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Most of the country’s major political parties support elections rather than forming a new government.”
The Economist: “Kosovo’s prime minister faces war-crimes allegations. But do not write off Ramush Haradinaj’s career just yet”
Bardh Krasniqi and Ivana Sekularac, Reuters: “Kosovo ex-PM will run for office if he’s not indicted for war crimes”
Eraldin Fazliu, Pristina Insight: “678 days of Ramush Haradinaj: Prishtina Insight provides a brief rundown of Ramush Haradinaj’s 678 days of governance and the decisions that will have profound effects on Kosovo’s future.”
Hungary Local – October 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free (downgraded from Free this year) – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has become increasingly authoritarian. Nonetheless, the party has been on a winning streak. In the April 2018 parliamentary elections, Fidesz won a third supermajority, and the party won 52 percent of the vote in this year’s European Parliament elections. While the party has historically been a member of the center-right European People’s Party, it has in recent years become populist and nationalist, but with left-wing economic policies. Orbán has pushed the idea of “illiberal democracy.” The local elections will not change the national government, but if the opposition can unite and put in a strong showing, it will reduce Fidesz’s stranglehold on the country’s politics.
In June 2019, the Hungarian opposition united to hold the country’s first-ever formal primary to choose a candidate for mayor of Budapest. Sociologist Gergely Karácsony will take on incumbent István Tarlós, who is backed by Orban. However, opposition parties are divided on whether to back Karácsony or run their own candidates.
Gabriela Baczynska, Reuters: “EU takes Hungary to court for criminalizing help for asylum seekers”
Valerie Hopkins, Financial Times: “Hungary’s Viktor Orban and the rewriting of history”
Poland Parliamentary – Expected October/November 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Poland’s right-wing populist Law and Justice (PiS) came to power in the 2015 elections, winning a majority, a first for a Polish political party in a free election. The party has been criticized for its increasingly authoritarian tendencies, but it nonetheless won a massive victory in this year’s European Parliament elections. The country is highly polarized, and upcoming parliamentary elections will be crucial in determining the country’s future course.
Joanna Plucinska and Angelika Meczkowska, Reuters: “Poland’s main opposition parties have formed two coalition blocs to vie for left-leaning and centrist votes ahead of a national election later this year, in the hope of denting the popularity of the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.”
Monika Pronczuk and Evon Huber, Financial Times: “Poland’s opposition struggles for traction in rural heartlands: Ruling party’s social programmes put Civic Platform in shade”
Agnieszka Dudzińska Michał Kotnarowski, Brookings Institution: “Imaginary Muslims: How Poland’s populists frame Islam”
Rick Noack, Washington Post: “[Law and Justice’s] new focus on countering what its officials call Western ‘LGBT ideology’ has largely replaced its prior rallying cries against migrants, said Michal Bilewicz, a researcher at the University of Warsaw who tracks the prevalence of prejudices against minorities in public discourse.”
Romania Presidential – November 10, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Semi-Presidential Republic
Since communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fell in 1989, Romania has become a free democracy but politics are volatile – the office of the prime minister has changed hands eight times since 2014. Corruption and weak rule of law remain serious problems. Liviu Dragnea, head of the governing left-wing Social Democratic Party (PSD), is currently in prison for abuse of power. PSD only got 23 percent of votes in the May 2019 European Parliament election, half of the support it had in the 2016 parliamentary elections. The 2014 presidential elections handed a surprise victory to Klaus Iohannis, the center-right mayor of Sibiu in Transylvania, who defeated then-Prime Minister Victor Ponta in the runoff. Iohannis plans to run for a second term.
RFE/RL: “Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila will challenge incumbent President Klaus Iohannis for his seat in the November 10 presidential election. The Social Democratic Party, of which Dancila is a member, nominated her on July 23 despite the 55-year-old former European Parliament member having previously said she wouldn’t run.”
Andra Timu and Irina Vilcu, Bloomberg: “Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila plans to run for president in a move that may cause friction within the ruling coalition as her main ally is also considering his candidacy.”
Jennifer Rankin, The Guardian: “’We are watching you’: the 500-day protest against corruption in Romania. Protesters in Sibiu have been staging a daily demonstration outside the ruling PSD party’s HQ”
Bosnia and Herzegovina Local – October 2020
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Aleksandar Brezar, Washington Post: “How Sarajevo’s upcoming Pride march could turn the tables on ethnonationalism”
United Kingdom Parliamentary – May 5, 2022 (early elections possible)
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy (a Commonwealth Realm)
Following Prime Minister Theresa May’s resignation at the end of May as Conservative Party leader, the Tories held a leadership election. Former London mayor Boris Johnson, a bombastic Brexiteer, won.
William Booth and Karla Adam, Washington Post: “Theresa May resigns, Boris Johnson becomes U.K. prime minister, in elaborate transition of power”
Jack Blanchard, Politico: “Meet Boris Johnson’s new Cabinet: An Eton-educated man of the people and his band of 22 merry Brexiteers.”
Aleks Eror, World Politics Review: “Can Boris Johnson Survive Contact With Brexit Reality?”
Mark Galeotti, Foreign Policy: “Boris Johnson’s Russian Oligarch Problem”
Past Elections
Greece Snap Parliamentary – July 7, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
After Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing populist Syriza suffered heavy losses during the European Parliament and local elections in May, Tsipras called a snap election. Elections were originally scheduled for October of this year. The center-right New Democracy, headed by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, won the most votes in the European elections and won key mayoral contests, and is projected to win the parliamentary polls. Syriza’s coalition partner, the far-right Independent Greeks (Anel), announced that they would not run candidates after winning less than one percent in the European elections.
New Democracy won a majority, and was able to form a government on its own, without coalition partners.
Philip Chrysopoulos, The Greek Reporter: “July 24, 1974: When Democracy Was Restored to Greece”
Paul Tugwell, Bloomberg: “New Greek Leader Unveils Economic Plan in First Policy Speech”
DW: “Greece’s new Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis vows growth: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Greece will ease taxes on its citizens while upholding austerity targets set by foreign lenders. The new premier vowed growth plans would be a ‘pleasant surprise for Europe.’”
Albania Local – June 30, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Partly Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Albania is in the middle of a tense political standoff between Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialists and the main opposition center-right Democratic Party, led by Lulzim Basha. All but two MPs from the Democratic Party and one from the Socialist Movement for Integration (LSI) surrendered their parliamentary mandates in February, and have led a series of protests marred by violence. The opposition demands Rama’s resignation and new elections, and boycotted the local elections. President Ilir Meta cancelled the June 30 local elections and called on parties to reduce political tensions, but Rama proceeded with the polls anyway, and without the participation of the opposition, almost all seats went uncontested.
Agim Nesho, Foreign Policy: “The Trump Administration Is Helping Kill Albania’s Democracy. The State Department’s latest intervention in a European election served nobody’s interests at all.”
Exit Albania: “The Court of Durrës refused to certify the mandate of the Socialist Party (PS) mayor-elect Valbona Sako following the June 30 local. Judge Mimoza Gjekmarkaj decided that Sako’s mandate was irregular due to the illegal participation in elections of the Democratic Conviction (BD – Bindja Demokratike) party.”
Gjergi Erebara, Balkan Insight: “Albania Anti-Defamation Laws Condemned as ‘Censorship Package’: Ten Albanian human rights organisations on Friday denounced a government proposal to ‘regulate’ the online media as a ‘censorship package’ without precedent in a democratic country.”
Frida Ghitis, World Politics Review: “Will the Presence of Iran’s MEK Threaten Albania’s Already Shaky Stability?”
Spain Snap Parliamentary – April 28, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
The incumbent Socialists won the April snap elections, which Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called after failing to pass a budget. The far-right Vox won seats, the first time the far-right has been in parliament since Spain became a democracy (Vox also won seats in Andalusia’s regional elections in December, the first time for the far-right to enter any Spanish legislative body in the history of Spanish democracy).
Carlos E. Cué, El País: “Fear of fresh election could produce last-minute governing deal in Spain. Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s first bid to form a government failed on Tuesday, with another key vote in Congress due to take place [July 25].”
Estonia Parliamentary – March 3, 2019
Freedom House Rating: Free – Government Type: Parliamentary Republic
Estonia is the poster child for post-communist success. Kaja Kallas’ liberal Reform Party won Estonia’s March 2019 elections to the Riigikogu (parliament), but Prime Minister Juri Ratas pulled together a coalition with his Centre Party, the conservative Isamaa (Fatherland), and the far-right nationalist Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), despite having promised before the election that he would not do a deal with EKRE. The Centre Party is nominally liberal but actually pro-Kremlin (the party is a member of Renew Europe, the European party formerly known as the Alliance of Liberals and Democrat in Europe, and also has a cooperation protocol with Vladimir Putin’s United Russia). The newly-formed liberal Estonia 200 did not win any seats. EKRE doubled its support from the previous elections and leader Mart Helme and his son Martin were both made ministers in the new government. They both flashed a white supremacist hand gesture at their swearing-in.
Benjamin Bathke, Foreign Policy: “Estonia Battles Its Elected Racists: Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid speaks on how to stand up against the far-right.”
The Year Ahead: Europe
Germany, Brandenburg and Saxony states (September 1); Norway local (September 9); Portugal, Madeiran regional (September 22); Austria snap parliamentary (September 29); Hungary local (October); Finland Åland regional parliament and local (October); Portugal parliamentary (October 6); Austria Vorarlberg state (October 13); Switzerland Federal Assembly (October 20); Bulgaria local (October 27); Germany Thuringia state (October 27); Poland parliamentary (November); Romania presidential (November 3); Croatia presidential (December); Slovakia parliamentary (March 2020); Serbia parliamentary, provincial, local (March or April 2020); Poland presidential (May 2020); Iceland presidential (June 2020)
Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă plans to run for president against incumbent Klaus Iohannis in the fall. Her party faces corruption scandals. Photo credit: Flickr/Partidul Social Democrat (CC BY 2.0)
21votes does not necessarily endorse all of the views in all of the linked articles or publications. More on our approach here.
Comments
Share this:
Related
Category: This Week Tags: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Spain, United Kingdom