2026 in politics
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The following political events have occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2026.
Events
[edit source]January
[edit source]- January 1
- Bulgaria adopted the Euro, becoming the 21st member of the Eurozone.[1]
- Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor of New York City, becoming the first Muslim and first Asian American to hold the office.[2]
- January 3 – US forces arrested president of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores following American airstrikes on military sites in northern Venezuela.[3]
- January 7 – Protests spread across the United States following the killing of Renée Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.[4]
- January 8 – Thongloun Sisoulith was re-elected as General Secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, the most powerful position in the one-party state.[5]
- January 9 – A majority of EU member states voted in favour of a free trade agreement with Mercosur.[6]
- January 14 - The governing MPs in the Parliament of Singapore unanimously passed a motion to deem Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh being unsuitable for the position of Leader of the Opposition, following a perjury conviction relating to the resignation of former MP Raeesah Khan in 2021.[7][8][9][10] Prime Minister Lawrence Wong eventually removed Singh from the position the day after.[11][12]
- January 15 – The 2026 Ugandan general election was held, with incumbent Yoweri Museveni winning a seventh consecutive term and deadly protests breaking out over the result.[13]
- January 17 – Protests occur throughout Greenland and Denmark over US president Donald Trump's threats to annex the territory.[14]
- January 18 – The first round of the 2026 Portuguese presidential election was held.[15]
- January 22 – The United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization.[16]
- January 23
- Tô Lâm was re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the most powerful position in the one-party state.[17]
- Iliana Iotova was sworn is as president of Bulgaria following the resignation of Rumen Radev, becoming the first woman to hold the post.[18][19]
- January 24 – The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis fuels further protests across the United States.[20]
- January 27 - The India–European Union Free Trade Agreement (simply called the India–EU FTA) is a comprehensive free trade agreement concluded between the Republic of India and the European Union (EU) on 27 January 2026, following negotiations that spanned nearly two decades.[21][22]
- January 29 – The European Union designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation.[23]
February
[edit source]- February 1
- Former British Ambassador to the United States and cabinet member Peter Mandelson resigned from the Labour Party over links to Jeffrey Epstein.[24] Mandelson was later reported to the Metropolitan Police and resigned from the House of Lords over accusations he forwarded internal government emails to Epstein.[25]
- Laura Fernández Delgado was elected president in the first round of the 2026 Costa Rican general election.[26]
- February 5 – The New START Treaty between the United States and Russia expired.
- February 8
- The Liberal Democratic Party won a supermajority in the 2026 Japanese general election.[27]
- A general election and a constitutional referendum were held in Thailand, with conservative populist party Bhumjaithai winning the largest number of seats and the adoption of a new constitution being approved.[28]
- The second round of the 2026 Portuguese presidential election was held, resulting in a victory for António José Seguro.[29]
- February 9 - Israeli president Isaac Herzog began an official visit to Australia.[30][31][32]
- February 11 – The Barbados Labour Party won every seat in the 2026 Barbadian general election.[33]
- February 12 – The 2026 Bangladeshi general election was held, with the Bangladesh National Party winning a landslide victory.[34]
- February 13 – Sussan Ley, the first female leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, was ousted by Angus Taylor.[35]
- February 17 – Peruvian president José Jerí was censured by Congress and replaced by José María Balcázar.[36]
- February 19 – Former President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment for his conviction of insurrection over the martial law crisis in December 2024 following eight months of court trials and ten months since his impeachment.[37]
- February 22
- Kim Jong Un was re-elected as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the most powerful position in the one-party state.[38]
- The 2026 Laotian parliamentary election was held.
- February 23 – Rob Jetten was sworn in as prime minister of the Netherlands, becoming both the youngest and first openly gay prime minister in Dutch history.[39]
- February 26
- Jersey approved the legalisation of assisted dying in a landslide vote.[40]
- The 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election was held, resulting in a victory for Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer.[41]
- 28 February – The 2026 Iran war broke out following co-ordinated airstrikes by the United States and Israel, and the assassination of Ali Khamenei.[42]
March
[edit source]- March 5 – The 2026 Nepalese general election was held, with the centrist Rastriya Swatantra Party winning the most seats.[43]
- March 8
- The 2026 Colombian parliamentary election was held.
- Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as Supreme Leader of Iran following his father's assassination.[44]
- March 13 - First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Díaz-Canel entered negotiations with the Trump administration in an effort to end the United States embargo against Cuba.[45]
- March 15
- The first round of the 2026 French municipal elections was held, with right-wing and centrist parties making notable gains.[46]
- The 2026 Kazakh constitutional referendum was held, with nearly 90% of voters in favour.[47]
- The 2026 North Korean parliamentary election was held.
- The 2026 Republic of the Congo presidential election was held, with incumbent president Denis Sassou Nguesso winning a fifth consecutive term.[48]
- The 2026 Vietnamese legislative election was held.
- March 22 – The 2026 Slovenian parliamentary election was held, resulting in the ruling Freedom Movement losing their majority.[49]
- March 24 – The 2026 Danish general election was held, with neither political bloc winning a majority.[50]
- March 24 - The EU and Australia concluded negotiations on a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on March 24, 2026, aimed at removing over 99% of tariffs on EU exports and 98% of Australian goods exports to the EU.
April
[edit source]- April 10 – The 2026 Djiboutian presidential election was held.
- April 12
- The 2026 Beninese presidential election was held, with independent candidate Romuald Wadagni winning with over 94% of the vote.
- The 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election was held, with the opposition Tisza Party winning a supermajority, ending 16 years of government previously led by Viktor Orbán.[51]
- April 12–13 – The first round of the 2026 Peruvian general election was held, alongside voting for both lower and upper houses in Peru. This is the first senate election since April 1990 following the of the restoration of their senate after its initial abolishment in 1993.
- April 19 – The 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election was held, with former president Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria party winning a landslide majority.[52]
- April 30 – The 2026 Antiguan general election was held.
May
[edit source]- May 7
- The 2026 United Kingdom local elections were held.
- The 2026 Scottish Parliament election was held, with the Scottish National Party winning the most seats for a fifth successive election.[53]
- The 2026 Senedd election was held, with Plaid Cymru winning the most seats and ending the Labour Party's century-long dominance of Welsh politics.[54]
- May 12 – The 2026 Bahamian general election was held.
- May 14 – Evika Siliņa resigned as prime minister of Latvia following a political crisis after Ukrainian drones crashed in Latvia.[55]
- May 17 – The 2026 Cape Verdean parliamentary election was held.
- May 24 – The 2026 Cypriot legislative election was held.
- May 30 – The 2026 Maltese general election was held
- May 31 – The first round of the 2026 Colombian presidential election was held.
June
[edit source]- June 1 – The 2026 Ethiopian general election was held
- June 3 – The 2026 South Korean local elections was held.
- June 6 – A group of young Indian students and leftists formed an unofficial Cockroach Janta Party, precipitating a series of nationwide protests in Jantar Mantar, New Delhi over a leak of NEET exam previously occurred one month earlier on May 3.[56][57]
- June 7
- The 2026 Armenian parliamentary election was held.
- The second round of the 2026 Peruvian general election was held.
- The 2026 Kosovan parliamentary election was held.
- June 22 – Following months of criticism and pressure, Keir Starmer resigned as prime minister of the United Kingdom.[58]
- June 28 – The 2026 New Caledonian legislative election was held.
- June 29 – Following recounts and scrutiny in the second round of the 2026 Peruvian general election, four-time presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, daughter of the late-Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, was declared as the country's second female President-elect, after Dina Boluarte. She later took office on 28 July 2026.[59]
July
[edit source]- July 2 – The 2026 Algerian parliamentary election was held.
- July 4 – The United States celebrates its semiquincentennial anniversary of its indepencence.
- July 7 – Two explosive devices near the Four Seasons Hotel Damascus explode, wounding at least 18 people. It is alleged to be an attempted assassination of Emmanuel Macron.[60]
- July 17 – Andy Burnham was elected unopposed in the Labour Party's leadership election, making him the party's newest leader and Prime Minister-designate.[61] Burnham took office three days later.[62]
- July 19 – The 2026 São Toméan presidential election was held, with incumbent nonpartisan President Carlos Vila Nova re-elected for a second five-year term.
- July 20 – Nicaraguan Co-President Daniel Ortega ceases their country's electoral system, thereby suspending the next general election indefinitely as the country's elections were now declared obsolete.[63]
- July 25 – Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns from the position in light of the protests over a NEET exam leak. Most of the protests ceased following his resignation.[64][65]
- July 30 – A conflict was clashed in the Morocco–Spain border when over 80,000 people attempted to breach entry into Ceuta and Melilla. This was the third such similar clash in said border within five years, after 2021 and 2022.
Predicted and scheduled events
[edit source]- August 13 – The 2026 Zambian general election is scheduled to be held.
- September 2 – The 2026 Estonian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
- September 13 – The 2026 Swedish general election is scheduled to be held.
- September 20 – The 2026 Russian legislative election is scheduled to be held.
- September 23 – The 2026 Moroccan general election is scheduled to be held.
- September 27 – The 2026 São Toméan parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
- October 3 – The 2026 Latvian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
- October 4 – The 2026 Brazilian general election is scheduled to be held.
- October 4 – The 2026 Bosnian general election is scheduled to be held.
- October 25 – The 2026 Bulgarian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
- October 27 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Israeli legislative election will be held no later than this date.
- November 2 – The 2026 South African municipal elections will begin.
- November 3 – The United States midterm elections are scheduled to be held.
- November 7 – The 2026 New Zealand general election is scheduled to be held.
- November 28 – The 2026 Palestinian legislative election are scheduled to be held.
- December 5 – The 2026 Gambian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
- December 22 – The 2026 South Sudanese general election is scheduled to be held, the first since the country's independence in 2011.[66]
References
[edit source]- ↑ Thorpe, Nick (31 December 2025). "Bulgaria joins the euro after rocky path to new currency". BBC News. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Izaguirre, Anthony (1 January 2026). "Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station". Associated Press. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
- ↑ Spivey, Matt (3 January 2025). "Trump says US has 'captured' Venezuelan President Maduro and his wife in 'large scale strike'". BBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ↑ Inal, Kerem; Kofsky, Jared; Margolin, Josh (9 January 2026). "Minneapolis ICE shooting: A minute-by-minute timeline of how Renee Nicole Good died". ABC News. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ↑ Strangio, Sebastian (9 January 2026). "Lao Communist Party Chief Reappointed For Second Term at National Congress". The Diplomat. Retrieved 9 January 2026.
- ↑ Hooker, Lucy; Clun, Rachel (9 January 2026). "EU reaches South America trade deal after 25 years of talks". BBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
- ↑ "Parliament to discuss response to Pritam Singh's conviction; facts of case 'disturbing': Indranee". The Straits Times. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "Raeesah Khan's lie, its fallout and a motion against Pritam Singh before Parliament". The Straits Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "Pritam Singh rejects motion against him, says his 'conscience remains clear'". The Straits Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "Pritam has shown failure of leadership, failure to take responsibility: Indranee". The Straits Times. 14 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "PM Wong removes Pritam Singh as Leader of the Opposition, invites Workers' Party to nominate another MP to fill the role". CNA. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ "Statement by PM Lawrence Wong on the Leader of the Opposition". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
- ↑ Mumo Nzilani, Vincent; Winning, Alexander (16 January 2026). "Ugandan opposition leader 'forcibly taken,' party says, as President Museveni nears reelection". Reuters. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Sprunt, Barbara (17 January 2026). "'Not for sale': massive protest in Copenhagen against Trump's desire to acquire Greenland". NPR. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
- ↑ Khalip, Andrei; Goncalves, Sergio (19 January 2026). "Socialist, far-right candidate head for Portugal's presidential runoff". Reuters. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Edwards, Erika; Jett, Jennifer (22 January 2026). "U.S. severs ties with WHO, raising concerns about flu epidemics". NBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Head, Jonathan; Nguyen, Sen (23 January 2026). "Vietnam's leader returns to power with bold promises. Can he deliver?". BBC News. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ↑ "Румен Радев вече не е президент, държаве глава е Илиана Йотова" [Rumen Radev is no longer president, Iliana Iotova is the head of state] (in Bulgarian). 24 Chasa. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Karagyazov, Konstantin; Trifonov, Nikolay (23 January 2026). "Updated – Iliana Iotova Becomes Bulgaria's President after Constitutional Court Ruling". Bulgarian News Agency. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Wilson, Tabby; Faguy, Ana (26 January 2026). "Trump says administration 'reviewing everything' after fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
- ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah; Rankin, Jennifer (27 January 2026). "'Mother of all deals': EU and India sign free trade agreement". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
- ↑ "India, EU Seal Free Trade Deal after Nearly 20 Years". South Asia Newslog. 28 January 2026. DUPN: MO-00989. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ↑ Aikman, Ian; Hatton, Ben (29 January 2026). "EU adds Iran's Revolutionary Guards to terrorist list". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ↑ Whitehead, Jamie (1 February 2026). "Lord Mandelson resigns from Labour Party over Epstein links". BBC News. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
- ↑ Hatton, Ben; Smith, Alex (3 February 2026). "Mandelson to quit House of Lords as PM says he 'let country down' over alleged leaks to Epstein". BBC News. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
- ↑ Buschschlüter, Vanessa (2 February 2026). "Candidate tough on crime wins Costa Rica presidential election". BBC News. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
- ↑ Tewari, Suranjana (9 February 2026). "Japan has given Takaichi a landslide win - but can she bring back the economy?". BBC News. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ↑ Head, Jonathan (9 February 2026). "Thailand election: The result the polls never saw coming". BBC News. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ↑ Aikman, Ian (8 February 2026). "Centre-left candidate poised to comfortably win Portuguese presidency". BBC News. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
- ↑ "Israeli president Isaac Herzog lays wreath at Bondi at start of controversial visit". www.bbc.com. 9 February 2026.
- ↑ "Live: Isaac Herzog lays wreath at Bondi to commemorate victims of antisemitic attack". ABC News. 8 February 2026. Retrieved 9 February 2026.
- ↑ "Pro-Palestine protest planned in Sydney against Israeli President Herzog's visit". Reuters. 2026-02-08. Retrieved 2026-02-09.
- ↑ Clarke, Sherrylyn (12 February 2026). "Mottley cements legacy with third successive 30-0 victory in Barbados". NationNews. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Guinto, Joel; Limaye, Yogita; Moshiri, Azadeh (13 February 2026). "Bangladesh Nationalist Party wins landslide majority in first election since Gen Z uprising". BBC News. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ↑ Turnbull, Tiffanie (13 February 2026). "Sussan Ley and the glass cliff: Does Australian politics still have a problem with women?". BBC News. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
- ↑ Villegas, Alexander; Morland, Sarah (17 February 2026). "Peru Congress ousts President Jeri because of China-linked secret meetings". Reuters. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ↑ "South Korea court sentences ex-president Yoon to life in prison for 2024 insurrection". France 24. 19 February 2026.
- ↑ Koh, Ewe (23 February 2026). "Kim Jong Un re-appointed leader of North Korea's ruling party". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ Rhoden-Paul, André; Holligan, Anna (23 February 2026). "Rob Jetten becomes Netherlands' youngest ever PM". BBC News. Retrieved 23 February 2026.
- ↑ Ebrahim, Ammar; Walsh, Fergus (26 February 2026). "Jersey approves assisted dying law". BBC News. Retrieved 26 February 2026.
- ↑ "Parliamentary Gorton and Denton by-election". 26 February 2026. Retrieved 28 February 2026.
- ↑ Sullivan, Helen; Lapham, Jake; Bachega, Hugo (28 February 2026). "Trump says 'there will likely be more' US deaths as Iran strikes to continue until 'all' goals achieved". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ↑ Mackintosh, Thomas; Ireland, Olivia (7 March 2026). "Rapper-politician Balendra Shah unseats Nepal's ex-PM as he heads for victory". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ↑ BBC Persian (8 March 2026). "Who is Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader?". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
- ↑ Cursino, Malu (13 March 2025). "Cuba confirms negotiations with US as country faces effects of oil blockade". BBC News. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
- ↑ Schofield, Hugh (22 March 2026). "France's Socialists hold on to power in major cities in election boost for mainstream". BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Light, Felix; Gordeyeva, Mariya; Vaal, Tamara (15 March 2026). "Kazakhstan approves new constitution in referendum, exit polls say". Reuters. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Okamba, Louis (17 March 2026). "Denis Sassou N'Guesso reelected president of Congo with 94.8% of the vote, extending 42-year rule". Associated Press. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Zerdin, Ali (22 March 2026). "Slovenia's liberals and populists neck and neck, preliminary results show". Associated Press. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Murray, Adrienne (25 March 2026). "Danish PM fails to secure majority in party's weakest election showing since 1903". BBC News. Retrieved 1 April 2026.
- ↑ Seddon, Sean; Adler, Katya; Thorpe, Nick; Kirby, Paul; Palfi, Rita; Vaidyanathan, Rajini (13 April 2026). "Viktor Orbán ousted after 16 years in power as Hungarian opposition wins election landslide". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Maguire, Christine (19 April 2026). "Bulgaria election: Ex-President Radev secures landslide victory". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Cochrane, Angus (9 May 2026). "SNP wins Scottish election as Reform and Labour tie for second". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ Deans, David; Browne, Adrian (9 May 2026). "Plaid Cymru wants to run Welsh government on its own, leader says". BBC News. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
- ↑ "Latvian prime minister resigns over Ukrainian drones straying into Latvia". Le Monde. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ Alam, Majid; Chand, Sakshi; Pragyesh; Shams, Tabshir; Mathew, Liz; Anand, Jatin; Jayadeep, Malavika; Kanodia, Akriti; Joglekar, Swapnil; Rehman, Asad; Mussaddique, Mishal (25 July 2026). "Jantar Mantar Protest Live Updates: CJP calls off protests 'in good faith' after talks with Centre". indianexpress.com. New Delhi, India: The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 July 2026. Retrieved 25 July 2026.
- ↑ Hallam, Mark; Kapoor, Mahima (26 July 2026). "India news: 'Cockroaches' end protest after minister resigns". dw.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2026. Retrieved 26 July 2026.
- ↑ Wheeler, Richard (22 June 2026). "Starmer quits as Labour leader and paves way for contest for new prime minister". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ "Keiko Fujimori is inaugurated as Peru's president following a narrow election victory". AP News. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Explosions rock Syria's capital as French President Macron visits". AP News. 2026-07-07. Retrieved 2026-07-07.
- ↑ "Andy Burnham to promise new path when he becomes Labour leader". BBC News. 16 July 2026. Retrieved 18 July 2026.
- ↑ Doherty, Caitlin; Whitehead, Jamie. "Andy Burnham says he is 'finalising' cabinet ahead of becoming PM on Monday". BBC News.
- ↑ "Nicaragua's parliament moves to abolish elections under Ortega's order, fueling criticisms". AP News. 2026-07-22. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
- ↑ "India's 'cockroach' movement supporters caned by police". ABC News. 2026-07-20. Retrieved 2026-07-22.
- ↑ "Dharmendra Pradhan Resigns: केंद्रीय शिक्षण मंत्री धर्मेंद्र प्रधान यांचा राजीनामा, विद्यार्थ्यांच्या आंदोलनाला मोठं यश". Lokmat (in Marathi). 2026-07-25. Retrieved 2026-07-25.
- ↑ "South Sudan postpones December elections by 2 years citing incomplete preparations". Associated Press News. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
External links
[edit source]
Media related to 2026 in politics at Wikimedia Commons
