Europe This Week: February 24, 2021

February 24, 2021

Your weekly roundup of news and analysis of elections in Europe, usually posted on Wednesdays and occasionally updated throughout the week. For a full electoral calendar and interactive map, click here.


Greenland’s Nalunaq gold mine. Greenland has snap elections on April 6, sparked partly by debates over mining. Photo credit:
Wikimedia/James St. John (CC BY 2.0)

Upcoming Europe Elections

Greenland Snap Parliamentary Elections: April 6, 2021

Greenland will hold snap parliamentary elections on April 6, 2021. More

Kevin McGwin, Arctic Today (February 18, 2021): Greenland’s parliament calls an early election

France24 (February 17, 2021): Mining fuels Greenland dreams of independence – and political crisis

Finland Municipal Elections: April 18, 2021

Finland is due to hold municipal elections on April 18, 2021. Following the 2019 parliamentary elections, a left-leaning coalition came into government nationally. More

YLE (February 20, 2021): Justice Minister: Decision next week on municipal elections

United Kingdom Local Elections (including Mayor of London and Scottish and Welsh parliaments): May 6, 2021

The United Kingdom (UK) will hold local elections on May 6, 2021. Voters will elect various local councils, plus the mayor of London, plus Scottish and Welsh parliaments. The Scottish elections are particularly high-stakes because if the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) wins a majority, they will pressure the government in Westminster to allow another referendum on independenceMore

Andrew McDonald, Politico (February 24, 2021): Scotland’s Salmond vs. Sturgeon fight explained

Conor Matchett, The Scotsman (February 21, 2021): Insight: How the opposition will tackle the SNP’s dominance in May’s elections

Stephen Castle, New York Times (February 18, 2021): The Poisonous Feud Threatening Scotland’s Independence Drive

Croatia Local Elections: May 16, 2021

Croatia has scheduled local elections for May 16, 2021. More

Total Croatia News (February 21, 2021): Twelve Candidacies for Zagreb Mayor Announced So Far

Latvia Municipal Elections: June 5, 2021

Latvia has scheduled municipal elections for June 5, 2021. After that, parliamentary elections are due in October 2022. More

Aaron Eglitis, Bloomberg (February 22, 2021): U.S.-Sanctioned Mayor Who Ran Latvia Is Found Guilty of Graft

France Regional Elections: June 13, 2021

France holds regional elections on June 13, 2021, with a second round on June 20. These come ahead of next year’s presidential and legislative elections, where President Emmanuel Macron potentially faces a formidable challenge from the far-right. More

Nicolas Pinault, Voice of America (February 19, 2021): France Signals It May Try Out Early Electronic Voting

Norway Parliamentary Elections: September 13, 2021

Norway holds parliamentary elections on September 13, 2021. More

Mette Wiggen, openDemocracy (February 18, 2021): As Norway’s far Right declines in popularity, a new populist force rises

TheLocal.no (February 18, 2021): Leader of Norwegian populist party to step down

Iceland Parliamentary Elections: September 25, 2021

Iceland has scheduled its next parliamentary elections for September 25, 2021. More

Andie Sophia Fontaine, Reykjavík Grapevine (February 23, 2021): Iceland’s Political Parties: Who Are These People?

Czech Republic Parliamentary Elections: October 8-9, 2021

The Czech Republic has scheduled parliamentary elections for October 8-9, 2021. The current prime minister, controversial billionaire Andrej Babiš, came to power following the 2017 parliamentary elections. His populist ANO party won a plurality, but not majority, of seats, and he has had a turbulent tenure in office. More

William Nattrass, The Spectator (February 23, 2021): The remarkable rise of the Czech Pirate party

Siegfried Mortkowitz, Politico (February 21, 2021): Czech PM Andrej Babiš under fire for ‘chaotic’ coronavirus response

Estonia Municipal Elections: October 17, 2021

Estonia – a poster child for a successful post-communist transition to democracy – will hold municipal elections on October 17, 2021. More

Andrew MacDowal, World Politics Review (February 24, 2021): Estonia Turns the Page on Its Flirtation With the Far-Right EKRE

Italy General Elections: By June 2023 (due – snap elections possible)

Italy’s next elections aren’t due until June 2023, but as is ever the case with Italy, snap elections are possible. However, in January 2021, the government collapsed after former prime minister Matteo Renzi withdrew his support. Former European Central Bank chief Mario “Super Mario” Draghi formed a government in February 2021.

Hannah Roberts, Politico (February 22, 2021): Italy’s 5Star Movement loses its shine

The Economist (February 20, 2021): Mario Draghi begins the toughest job in European politics

Past Europe Elections

Bosnia and Herzegovina Local Elections Re-Run in Srebrenica and Doboj: February 21, 2021

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) held local elections on November 15, 2020 for mayors and councils in 143 municipalities. Following complaints of irregularities, officials annulled the results of the local elections in Srebrenica and Doboj and held a re-run on February 21, 2021. More

RFE/RL (February 22, 2021): Bosnian Serb Declares Victory In Rerun Srebrenica Vote Amid Muslim Boycott

Ian Bancroft, Balkan Insight (February 19, 2021): Creating a Civic Identity in Bosnia is not a Lost Cause

Kosovo Snap Parliamentary Elections: February 14, 2021

Kosovo held snap parliamentary elections on February 14. The left-wing nationalist Vetëvendosje won, potentially jeopardizing any resolution to a long-standing territorial dispute with Serbia.

Perparim Isufi, Balkan Insight (February 23, 2021): Kosovo’s Oldest Party Needs Reality Check After Election Rout

Spain, Catalonia Regional Elections: February 14, 2021

Spain’s Catalonia region held elections on February 14. The Socialists won, but secessionists increased their vote share.

Jordi Solé, EU Observer (February 22, 2021): Two lessons worth learning from the Catalan elections

Nicholas Casey and Raphael Minder, New York Times (February 19, 2021): Spain Hoped Catalonia’s Separatists Would Fade. They’re Gaining Ground.

Stratfor (February 18, 2021): A Pro-Secession Majority in Catalonia Signals Uncertainty for Spain

Euronews/AFP (February 17, 2021): New Caledonia: Pro-independence parties win majority in snap elections

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