Elections in EU member countries are relevant to the future of the bloc more than ever this year: they determine the balance of power in the European Council and the Council of Ministers, and their national parliaments are also key as they are involved in advancing the integration process. Not to mention the Trump factor!
Portugal is holding presidential elections, Estonian Alar Karis’ term ends in October, and also in autumn, presidential elections will be held in Bulgaria to replace the pro-Russian Rumen Radev. The Kosovo Parliament is also scheduled to elect the country’s president in March. In Russia, parliamentary elections will be held in September.
These will be the second Russian federal elections since the war in Ukraine began. And the United Kingdom is holding local elections on 7 May, as well as regional elections in Scotland, which are considered crucial for the survival of Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which is at its lowest point in popularity despite being a year and a half into its term.
In the local elections, Nigel Farage’s Reform party is leading the polls, and in Scotland, the Scottish National Party (SNP) could win and ‘reopen the can of worms’ of a new referendum on independence, at a time when the UK is still reeling from the shock of Brexit. We could be looking at a whole new world come the end of this year.