Key elections to watch across Europe in 2026

ISTANBUL

Europe is gearing up for a packed election calendar in 2026, with key presidential and parliamentary contests poised to reshape the political dynamics of the continent.

From the Iberian Peninsula to the Baltics and Central Europe, the votes come amid various public concerns over economic pressures, governance, geopolitical tensions, the bloc’s security, and support for Ukraine.

Portugal

Portugal will open the election calendar with a presidential vote scheduled for Jan. 18.

The contest comes months after parliamentary elections in May that brought victory for the center-right Democratic Alliance with 91 seats, while the far-right Chega party became the country’s main opposition force, marking a significant shift in Portugal’s political landscape.

Incumbent President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who won nearly 60% of the vote in 2021, is completing his second and final five-year term. Eleven candidates are in the race to succeed him, including Chega leader Andre Ventura, who secured close to 12% in the previous presidential election.

Opinion polls published in December suggest no candidate is likely to win an outright majority in the first round, making a second round on Feb. 8 increasingly likely.

Alongside Ventura, center-right Social Democratic Party figure Luis Marques Mendes, ex-Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro and independent candidate Henrique Gouveia e Melo are expected to run neck and neck.

Slovenia

Slovenia is due to hold parliamentary elections on March 22, with voters set to elect 90 members of the National Assembly.

The vote is expected to be highly competitive as both established parties and newly formed political movements such as Democrats, Socialists and Sovereigntists enter the race.

Recent opinion polls indicate that the opposition Slovenian Democratic Party is narrowly leading, followed closely by Prime Minister Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement.

A poll released in December by public broadcaster RTV Slovenija found that the Slovenian Democratic Party could win 21.1% of the vote, with the Freedom Movement ranking second at 17.5%.

The poll also revealed that the Social Democrats, a junior coalition party, could come in third place, followed by the opposition party New Slovenia.

Hungary

Hungary is expected to go to the polls in April or May to elect a 199-member National Assembly, in what is widely seen as one of the most consequential elections for the country in years.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has dominated Hungarian politics for nearly two decades, faces a strong challenge from the Tisza Party led by Peter Magyar, a former insider of Orban’s Fidesz party.

Public dissatisfaction over healthcare, the cost of living and corruption has featured prominently in surveys, while the campaign is also expected to focus heavily on foreign policy, including Hungary’s strained relations with the European Union and its stance on the war in Ukraine.

A harsh critic of the bloc’s positions on democratic standards and migration, and long reluctant to support Ukraine, Orban’s departure from the leadership could potentially open new opportunities for the EU to reinforce internal cohesion and a collective stance on Kyiv.

Estonia

Estonia is preparing for a presidential election in the late summer, as the five-year term of President Alar Karis comes to an end in August.

Estonia’s head of state is not elected by popular vote, but by parliament, and if lawmakers fail to agree on a candidate, the decision moves to an electoral body that includes representatives from local governments.

The governing coalition formed by the Estonian Reform Party, the Social Democratic Party, and Eesti 200 indicated a preference for electing the president in parliament, a process that would give it greater influence over the outcome, according to broadcaster ERR.

Meanwhile, opposition parties could gain ground if the vote shifts beyond the parliament to the electoral body.

Consultations to find a presidential candidate are expected to begin in February.

Sweden

Sweden will hold general elections on Sept. 13, with all 349 seats in the parliament up for grabs.

Under Sweden’s electoral system, parties must secure at least 4% of the national vote or 12% in a constituency to enter parliament.

In the 2022 election, the center-left Social Democratic Party emerged as the largest party with around 30%, followed by the far-right Sweden Democrats with 20% and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s Moderates with 19%.

Kristersson currently leads a minority government alongside the Christian Democrats and Liberals.

According to a December poll by Swedish research firm Novus, the Social Democrats remain the most supported party, followed by the Sweden Democrats and the Moderates.

Back in November, Kristersson wrote on US social media platform X that Swedish democracy is “fundamentally well-prepared” ahead of the upcoming election while warning against foreign interference.

“When Sweden goes to the polls next year, we will do so in a serious security situation that we have to take into account. At the beginning of next year, I will gather all eight party leaders for information and discussions about the ongoing efforts to counter threats from foreign interference,” he said.

Denmark

Denmark is set to hold general elections in October, as required under its four-year electoral cycle, with 179 seats in parliament at stake.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has led the country for more than six years, faces declining support for her three-party coalition government, formed in 2022 by the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Moderates.

As domestic economic issues and foreign policy debates, including renewed international attention to Greenland, shape the election period, a mid-December poll from broadcaster DR suggested that the ruling coalition could suffer significant losses compared to 2022.

The poll indicated that the governing bloc is projected to win only 54 seats, signaling a sharp drop from 92 seats after the 2022 elections.

Latvia

Latvia is also expected to hold parliamentary elections in early October to fill 100 seats in the parliament, with the vote likely to determine who will succeed the current center-right coalition led by Prime Minister Evika Silina.

Reflecting a challenging political environment ahead of the vote, an October survey by public broadcaster LSM showed growing dissatisfaction with the government, with 56% of respondents saying the coalition should step down and nearly 29% calling for an urgent resignation.

Bulgaria

Bulgaria continues to face political uncertainty following the resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s government in December after sustained protests.

President Rumen Radev is expected to hand a Cabinet-forming mandate to the largest parliamentary group, according to the Bulgarian News Agency.

The president may issue up to three mandates in total, and if all attempts fail to produce a government, early parliamentary elections could be called in the spring.

The country is also expected to hold presidential elections later in the year, although the timetable and candidates have yet to be finalized.

Spain

As Spain looks ahead to its 2027 general election, it will first face three key regional contests: Aragon on Feb. 8, Castilla y Leon on March 15, and Andalusia in June.

The votes carry national significance after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) suffered a heavy defeat in Extremadura’s regional elections in December. PSOE recorded its worst-ever regional result there, amid corruption allegations that have shaken the party.

The conservative People’s Party (PP) emerged first with 29 seats but fell short of an outright majority, forcing it to rely on the far-right Vox party, which doubled its representation to 11 seats.

Against this backdrop, the upcoming regional elections are expected to offer a key indication of the far right’s momentum in Spain ahead of the 2027 general vote.

France

Similar to Spain, France is also set to hold municipal elections between March 15 and 22, a vote that could carry broader implications ahead of the presidential elections scheduled for April 2027.

The country is already grappling with political turmoil, marked by government instability and a failed budget, after President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition lost its majority in the National Assembly following snap elections in 2024.

With Macron’s approval ratings at record lows and the prospect of a far-right victory in the next presidential race growing -- driven by rising support for Marine Le Pen’s National Rally -- the upcoming municipal elections are expected to be a key test, setting the political tone for all parties moving forward.