April 20, 2022
A weekly review 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.
City Hall in Aix-en-Provence, France. Photo credit: Wikimedia/Baptiste Rossi (public domain)
Upcoming Europe Elections
France Presidential Runoff: April 24, 2022, followed by Legislative Elections: June 12 and 19, 2022
France holds presidential and legislative elections in spring 2022. These follow the June 2021 regional elections, in which the far-right failed to make gains that had been predicted by pre-election polls. The regional elections put the center-right Republicans in a stronger position to challenge President Emmanuel Macron.
In total, 12 candidates qualified for the first round ballot (by obtaining 500 signatures of elected officials). Pre-election polls were all over the place, but the runoff will be a rematch between Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen, whom Macron defeated in 2017.
Matthias Matthijs, Council on Foreign Relations (April 20, 2022): Macron vs. Le Pen: What’s at Stake in the French Election?
Lisa Louis, DW (April 15, 2022): French electionspast : What the president’s furniture says about France
Eloise Barry, Time (April 14, 2022): What a Marine Le Pen Victory in France’s Elections Could Mean for the War in Ukraine
Colin Kinniburgh, France24 (April 11, 2022): France’s election seen from the US: Geopolitics, inflation loom large
Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic (April 3, 2022): How Ukraine Is Upending European Politics: The war is dominating elections in Hungary and France.
Slovenia Parliamentary Elections: April 24, 2022
Slovenia will hold general elections on April 24, 2022. The current government is a conservative minority coalition headed by populist Janez Janša. It came to power in January 2020 after the center-left minority government of Marjan Šarec collapsed.
Victor Jack, Politico (April 20, 2022): Slovenia saw sharpest democratic decline in Eastern Europe, Central Asia in 2021, report says
Jan Bratanic, Bloomberg (April 19, 2022): Slovenia’s Jansa Set for Potential Defeat in Nail-Biter Vote
United Kingdom Local Elections, including Northern Ireland Assembly: May 5, 2022
The United Kingdom holds local elections for some local councils, as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly (although the Northern Ireland elections could take place earlier). The Northern Ireland elections could be a watershed. Polling suggests that unionist parties could lose their majority and the nationalist Sinn Féin could become the biggest party. By far the biggest issue in public debate is Northern Ireland’s trade arrangements following Brexit.
In last year’s local elections, the Conservatives made gains on councils, particularly in England, but Labour’s Sadiq Khan was re-elected mayor of London. Labour also held onto its working majority in the Welsh parliament. In the high-stakes Scottish Parliament elections, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats after campaigning on another independence referendum, but failed to win a majority, making it harder to insist on a new referendum. All of Scotland’s local councils are up for election in 2022. The SNP is currently the biggest party in local government, and it is worth watching whether they make gains this year.
Gabriel Gavin, The Spectator (April 19, 2022): The Northern Ireland elections could break the Union
Irish Times (April 19, 2022): The Irish Times view on Northern Ireland Assembly elections: Beyond the orange v green
Freya McClements, Irish Times (April 16, 2022): Northern Ireland election: This could be the most important in a generation: If the polls are correct, a nationalist could head government in the North for first time
Anna Leach, Lucy Swan and Bryony Szekeres, The Guardian (April 12, 2022): ‘Historical shift for Northern Ireland’: what a Sinn Féin win would mean
RTÉ (April 8, 2022): Poll suggests Sinn Féin on course to be NI’s largest party
Bosnia and Herzegovina General Elections: October 2, 2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) holds general elections on October 2, 2022. The 2020 local elections, which took place in the context of gridlock and ethno-nationalism, delivered a blow to the three main ethnic-based political parties, with opposition forces winning in Sarajevo and other key cities. However, BiH faces a number of problems, including poor economic prospects, incompetent governance, and bitter political fights.
BiH consists of two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, populated mostly by Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, and the Republika Srpska, with mostly Orthodox Serbs. Recently, tensions have flared as Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has used increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and taken actions that some analysts see as moving toward secession. According to Reuters, “The Balkan country is going through its worst political crisis since the end of a war in the 1990s after Bosnian Serbs blocked decision-making in national institutions and launched a process to withdraw from the state armed forces, tax system and judiciary.”
Both Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats have threatened to boycott the upcoming elections.
European Western Balkans (April 20, 2022): Freedom House: Western Balkan countries remain hybrid regimes, decline for Serbia and BiH
Július Lőrincz, Visegrad Insight (April 13, 2022): The Crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The news that the European military force in Sarajevo, EUFOR Althea, will be receiving reinforcements has been positively received in Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Western Balkans (April 11, 2022): Escobar: Corruption harming Bosnia and Herzegovina more than anything
Zeljko Trkanjec, Euractiv (March 31, 2022): Electoral Commission selects new president, October election definite
Past Europe Elections
Hungary Parliamentary Elections: April 3, 2022
Hungary held parliamentary elections on April 3, 2022. Prime Minster Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has become increasingly authoritarian, to the concern of many both in Hungary and in the international community. Moreover, Orbán’s increasingly close ties to Russia and China have become a concern for many Hungarian voters.
Despite hopes that a broad opposition coalition led by conservative Péter Márki-Zay could defeat Orbán, he won re-election. Observers said the election environment was not entirely fair.
Matteo Mastracci, Balkan Insight (April 6, 2022): Election Hostilities Shake Serbia and Hungary
Kim Lane Scheppele, Washington Post (April 6, 2022): In Hungary, Orban wins again — because he has rigged the system: Here’s how Orban’s Fidesz party won 53 percent of the vote — but 83 percent of the districts.
Lili Bayer, Politico (April 5, 2022): EU launches process to slash Hungary’s funds over rule-of-law breaches: Hungary is the first country to face proceedings under the new power.
Rob Picheta and Balint Bardi, CNN (April 4, 2022): Viktor Orban, Hungary’s authoritarian leader and key Putin ally, calls Zelensky an ‘opponent’ after winning reelection
Lili Bayer, Politico (April 4, 2022): Hungarian election wasn’t a fair fight, observers say: Media bias and murky campaign finance rules favored Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, according to international experts.
Tony Wesolowsky, RFE/RL (April 3, 2022): OSCE Monitors Hungarian Elections Amid Voter Fraud Fears
Serbia Presidential and Parliamentary Elections: April 3, 2022
Serbia held early presidential and legislative elections on April 3, following a constitutional referendum on January 16 in which voters approved constitutional changes related to the judiciary – a move some hope will bring Serbia closer to EU membership. President Alexander Vucic won re-election.
The previous elections, snap parliamentary elections in June 2020, took place in a climate of mistrust. Many opposition parties boycotted, and therefore, Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) dominated. Vucic announced that the new parliament would not serve a full term, and that the Serbia would hold both presidential and parliamentary elections by April 2022.
Serbia has tried to balance movement toward joining the European Union with maintaining good relations with Russia. Meanwhile, China has stepped up its presence.
Florian Bieber, Foreign Policy (April 15, 2022): Aleksandar Vucic’s Pyrrhic Victory
Tefta Kelmendi, European Council on Foreign Relations (April 6, 2022): Past talker: How the EU should respond to the Serbian president’s re-election: The EU needs to convince Serbia’s newly re-elected president that his country must choose between European integration and subservience to Russia
Euractiv (April 5, 2022): International observers deplore conditions in Serbian elections
AFP (April 3, 2022): Serbia’s incumbent President Vucic declares landslide victory
Misha Savic, Bloomberg (April 3, 2022): Serbia’s Vucic Extends Dominance With Presidency, Party Win
AP (April 3, 2022): Serbia holds tense vote that could sway populist government’s ties with Russia
San Marino Captains Regent Election: April 1, 2022
San Marino, one of the world’s smallest countries (it is a micro-state entirely surrounded by Italy) – and the world’s oldest republic – held its most recent semi-annual captain regent election on April 1. These elections take place twice per year (on April 1 and October 1) to elect two heads of state who serve for six month terms. The role is largely ceremonial and does not have executive power.
One of the newly-elected captains regent is Paolo Rondelli, an openly gay former ambassador to the United States.
Eric J. Lyman, The Guardian (April 4, 2022): San Marino appoints world’s first openly gay head of state
Europe Elections Coming Up in 2022 and 2023
France Presidential Election: April 24, 2022
Slovenia Parliamentary Elections: April 24, 2022
United Kingdom Local Elections, including Northern Ireland Assembly: May 5, 2022
Germany, Schleswig-Holstein State Elections: May 8, 2022
Iceland Local Elections: May 14, 2022
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia State Elections: May 15, 2022
France Legislative Elections: June 12 and 19, 2022
Austria Presidential Election: Fall 2022 (due)
Sweden Parliamentary and Local Elections: September 11, 2022
Latvia Parliamentary Elections: October 1, 2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 2, 2022
Germany, Lower Saxony State Elections: October 9, 2022
Czech Republic Local and Partial Senate Election: October 2022
Spain, Andalusia Regional Elections: Between June and October 2022 (due)
Slovenia Presidential and Local Elections: October/November 2022 (due)
Slovakia Local Elections: November 2022 (due)
Czech Republic Presidential Election: By January 2023
Austria, Lower Austria State Elections: January 2023 (due)
Cyprus Presidential Election: February 2023 (due)
Monaco Parliamentary Elections: February 2023 (due)
Austria, Tyrol State Elections: February 2023 (due)
Estonia General Elections: By March 5, 2023
Netherlands Provincial Council and Water Authority Elections: March 2023 (due)
Austria, Carinthia State Elections: March 2023 (due)
Finland Parliamentary Elections: By April 2023
Montenegro Presidential Election: April 2023 (due)
Austria, Salzburg State Elections: April 2023 (due)
Spain Local Elections and Various Regional Elections: May 28, 2023
Germany, Bremen State Elections: May 2023 (due)
Greece Local Elections: May 2023 (due)
Latvia Indirect Presidential Election: May 2023 (due)
Italy General Elections: By June 1, 2023
Denmark General Elections: By June 4, 2023
Greece Parliamentary Elections: By August 6, 2023
Norway Local Elections: September 2023
Switzerland Federal Parliamentary Elections: October 2023 (due)
Luxembourg General Elections: October 2023
Bulgaria Local Elections: October 2023
Germany, Hesse and Bavaria State Elections: October 2023 (due)
Finland, Åland Elections: By October 2023
Poland Parliamentary and Local Elections: By November 11, 2023
Spain General Elections: By December 10, 2023 (snap elections possible
21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content. That is to say, their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. More on our approach here
Europe This Week: April 20, 2022
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Last Updated: May 3, 2022 by 21votes
April 20, 2022
A weekly review 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.
Upcoming Europe Elections
France Presidential Runoff: April 24, 2022, followed by Legislative Elections: June 12 and 19, 2022
France holds presidential and legislative elections in spring 2022. These follow the June 2021 regional elections, in which the far-right failed to make gains that had been predicted by pre-election polls. The regional elections put the center-right Republicans in a stronger position to challenge President Emmanuel Macron.
In total, 12 candidates qualified for the first round ballot (by obtaining 500 signatures of elected officials). Pre-election polls were all over the place, but the runoff will be a rematch between Macron and the far-right Marine Le Pen, whom Macron defeated in 2017.
Matthias Matthijs, Council on Foreign Relations (April 20, 2022): Macron vs. Le Pen: What’s at Stake in the French Election?
Lisa Louis, DW (April 15, 2022): French electionspast : What the president’s furniture says about France
Eloise Barry, Time (April 14, 2022): What a Marine Le Pen Victory in France’s Elections Could Mean for the War in Ukraine
Colin Kinniburgh, France24 (April 11, 2022): France’s election seen from the US: Geopolitics, inflation loom large
Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic (April 3, 2022): How Ukraine Is Upending European Politics: The war is dominating elections in Hungary and France.
Slovenia Parliamentary Elections: April 24, 2022
Slovenia will hold general elections on April 24, 2022. The current government is a conservative minority coalition headed by populist Janez Janša. It came to power in January 2020 after the center-left minority government of Marjan Šarec collapsed.
Victor Jack, Politico (April 20, 2022): Slovenia saw sharpest democratic decline in Eastern Europe, Central Asia in 2021, report says
Jan Bratanic, Bloomberg (April 19, 2022): Slovenia’s Jansa Set for Potential Defeat in Nail-Biter Vote
United Kingdom Local Elections, including Northern Ireland Assembly: May 5, 2022
The United Kingdom holds local elections for some local councils, as well as the Northern Ireland Assembly (although the Northern Ireland elections could take place earlier). The Northern Ireland elections could be a watershed. Polling suggests that unionist parties could lose their majority and the nationalist Sinn Féin could become the biggest party. By far the biggest issue in public debate is Northern Ireland’s trade arrangements following Brexit.
In last year’s local elections, the Conservatives made gains on councils, particularly in England, but Labour’s Sadiq Khan was re-elected mayor of London. Labour also held onto its working majority in the Welsh parliament. In the high-stakes Scottish Parliament elections, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) won the most seats after campaigning on another independence referendum, but failed to win a majority, making it harder to insist on a new referendum. All of Scotland’s local councils are up for election in 2022. The SNP is currently the biggest party in local government, and it is worth watching whether they make gains this year.
Gabriel Gavin, The Spectator (April 19, 2022): The Northern Ireland elections could break the Union
Irish Times (April 19, 2022): The Irish Times view on Northern Ireland Assembly elections: Beyond the orange v green
Freya McClements, Irish Times (April 16, 2022): Northern Ireland election: This could be the most important in a generation: If the polls are correct, a nationalist could head government in the North for first time
Anna Leach, Lucy Swan and Bryony Szekeres, The Guardian (April 12, 2022): ‘Historical shift for Northern Ireland’: what a Sinn Féin win would mean
RTÉ (April 8, 2022): Poll suggests Sinn Féin on course to be NI’s largest party
Bosnia and Herzegovina General Elections: October 2, 2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) holds general elections on October 2, 2022. The 2020 local elections, which took place in the context of gridlock and ethno-nationalism, delivered a blow to the three main ethnic-based political parties, with opposition forces winning in Sarajevo and other key cities. However, BiH faces a number of problems, including poor economic prospects, incompetent governance, and bitter political fights.
BiH consists of two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, populated mostly by Muslim Bosniaks and Catholic Croats, and the Republika Srpska, with mostly Orthodox Serbs. Recently, tensions have flared as Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has used increasingly inflammatory rhetoric and taken actions that some analysts see as moving toward secession. According to Reuters, “The Balkan country is going through its worst political crisis since the end of a war in the 1990s after Bosnian Serbs blocked decision-making in national institutions and launched a process to withdraw from the state armed forces, tax system and judiciary.”
Both Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Croats have threatened to boycott the upcoming elections.
European Western Balkans (April 20, 2022): Freedom House: Western Balkan countries remain hybrid regimes, decline for Serbia and BiH
Július Lőrincz, Visegrad Insight (April 13, 2022): The Crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina: The news that the European military force in Sarajevo, EUFOR Althea, will be receiving reinforcements has been positively received in Bosnia and Herzegovina
European Western Balkans (April 11, 2022): Escobar: Corruption harming Bosnia and Herzegovina more than anything
Zeljko Trkanjec, Euractiv (March 31, 2022): Electoral Commission selects new president, October election definite
Past Europe Elections
Hungary Parliamentary Elections: April 3, 2022
Hungary held parliamentary elections on April 3, 2022. Prime Minster Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party has become increasingly authoritarian, to the concern of many both in Hungary and in the international community. Moreover, Orbán’s increasingly close ties to Russia and China have become a concern for many Hungarian voters.
Despite hopes that a broad opposition coalition led by conservative Péter Márki-Zay could defeat Orbán, he won re-election. Observers said the election environment was not entirely fair.
Matteo Mastracci, Balkan Insight (April 6, 2022): Election Hostilities Shake Serbia and Hungary
Kim Lane Scheppele, Washington Post (April 6, 2022): In Hungary, Orban wins again — because he has rigged the system: Here’s how Orban’s Fidesz party won 53 percent of the vote — but 83 percent of the districts.
Lili Bayer, Politico (April 5, 2022): EU launches process to slash Hungary’s funds over rule-of-law breaches: Hungary is the first country to face proceedings under the new power.
Rob Picheta and Balint Bardi, CNN (April 4, 2022): Viktor Orban, Hungary’s authoritarian leader and key Putin ally, calls Zelensky an ‘opponent’ after winning reelection
Lili Bayer, Politico (April 4, 2022): Hungarian election wasn’t a fair fight, observers say: Media bias and murky campaign finance rules favored Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government, according to international experts.
Tony Wesolowsky, RFE/RL (April 3, 2022): OSCE Monitors Hungarian Elections Amid Voter Fraud Fears
Serbia Presidential and Parliamentary Elections: April 3, 2022
Serbia held early presidential and legislative elections on April 3, following a constitutional referendum on January 16 in which voters approved constitutional changes related to the judiciary – a move some hope will bring Serbia closer to EU membership. President Alexander Vucic won re-election.
The previous elections, snap parliamentary elections in June 2020, took place in a climate of mistrust. Many opposition parties boycotted, and therefore, Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) dominated. Vucic announced that the new parliament would not serve a full term, and that the Serbia would hold both presidential and parliamentary elections by April 2022.
Serbia has tried to balance movement toward joining the European Union with maintaining good relations with Russia. Meanwhile, China has stepped up its presence.
Florian Bieber, Foreign Policy (April 15, 2022): Aleksandar Vucic’s Pyrrhic Victory
Tefta Kelmendi, European Council on Foreign Relations (April 6, 2022): Past talker: How the EU should respond to the Serbian president’s re-election: The EU needs to convince Serbia’s newly re-elected president that his country must choose between European integration and subservience to Russia
Euractiv (April 5, 2022): International observers deplore conditions in Serbian elections
AFP (April 3, 2022): Serbia’s incumbent President Vucic declares landslide victory
Misha Savic, Bloomberg (April 3, 2022): Serbia’s Vucic Extends Dominance With Presidency, Party Win
AP (April 3, 2022): Serbia holds tense vote that could sway populist government’s ties with Russia
San Marino Captains Regent Election: April 1, 2022
San Marino, one of the world’s smallest countries (it is a micro-state entirely surrounded by Italy) – and the world’s oldest republic – held its most recent semi-annual captain regent election on April 1. These elections take place twice per year (on April 1 and October 1) to elect two heads of state who serve for six month terms. The role is largely ceremonial and does not have executive power.
One of the newly-elected captains regent is Paolo Rondelli, an openly gay former ambassador to the United States.
Eric J. Lyman, The Guardian (April 4, 2022): San Marino appoints world’s first openly gay head of state
Europe Elections Coming Up in 2022 and 2023
France Presidential Election: April 24, 2022
Slovenia Parliamentary Elections: April 24, 2022
United Kingdom Local Elections, including Northern Ireland Assembly: May 5, 2022
Germany, Schleswig-Holstein State Elections: May 8, 2022
Iceland Local Elections: May 14, 2022
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia State Elections: May 15, 2022
France Legislative Elections: June 12 and 19, 2022
Austria Presidential Election: Fall 2022 (due)
Sweden Parliamentary and Local Elections: September 11, 2022
Latvia Parliamentary Elections: October 1, 2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidential and Legislative Elections: October 2, 2022
Germany, Lower Saxony State Elections: October 9, 2022
Czech Republic Local and Partial Senate Election: October 2022
Spain, Andalusia Regional Elections: Between June and October 2022 (due)
Slovenia Presidential and Local Elections: October/November 2022 (due)
Slovakia Local Elections: November 2022 (due)
Czech Republic Presidential Election: By January 2023
Austria, Lower Austria State Elections: January 2023 (due)
Cyprus Presidential Election: February 2023 (due)
Monaco Parliamentary Elections: February 2023 (due)
Austria, Tyrol State Elections: February 2023 (due)
Estonia General Elections: By March 5, 2023
Netherlands Provincial Council and Water Authority Elections: March 2023 (due)
Austria, Carinthia State Elections: March 2023 (due)
Finland Parliamentary Elections: By April 2023
Montenegro Presidential Election: April 2023 (due)
Austria, Salzburg State Elections: April 2023 (due)
Spain Local Elections and Various Regional Elections: May 28, 2023
Germany, Bremen State Elections: May 2023 (due)
Greece Local Elections: May 2023 (due)
Latvia Indirect Presidential Election: May 2023 (due)
Italy General Elections: By June 1, 2023
Denmark General Elections: By June 4, 2023
Greece Parliamentary Elections: By August 6, 2023
Norway Local Elections: September 2023
Switzerland Federal Parliamentary Elections: October 2023 (due)
Luxembourg General Elections: October 2023
Bulgaria Local Elections: October 2023
Germany, Hesse and Bavaria State Elections: October 2023 (due)
Finland, Åland Elections: By October 2023
Poland Parliamentary and Local Elections: By November 11, 2023
Spain General Elections: By December 10, 2023 (snap elections possible
21votes does not necessarily agree with all of the opinions expressed in the linked articles; rather, our goal is to curate a wide range of voices. Furthermore, none of the individuals or organizations referenced have reviewed 21votes’ content. That is to say, their inclusion should not be taken to imply that they endorse us in any way. More on our approach here
Category: This Week Tags: Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, Hungary, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, United Kingdom