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The 2026 elections in the European Union include national and regional elections in the EU member states. Five of the twenty-seven member states (Slovenia,Hungary,Sweden,Latvia,and Denmark) are set to elect new parliaments in 2026. Three (Portugal,Estonia,and Bulgaria) will elect presidents. [1]
Hungary's parliamentary election has received international focus as prime minister Viktor Orbán and his national conservative Fidesz party are facing a strong challenge from Péter Magyar and the more moderate Tisza Party. [2] Orbán has received criticism from the European Parliament [3] as multiple research organizations have described the country as being in a state of democratic backsliding. [4] [5]
| Member state | Election | Parliament before | Head of Government before | Party | EU Party | Parliament after | Head of Government after | Party | EU Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slovenia | March |  | Robert Golob | Svoboda | ALDE | ||||||||
| Hungary | April |  | Viktor Orbán | Fidesz | Patriots | ||||||||
| Sweden | 13 September |  | Ulf Kristersson | Moderate | EPP | ||||||||
| Latvia | By 3 October |  | Evika Siliņa | Unity | EPP | ||||||||
| Denmark | By 31 October |  | Mette Frederiksen | Social Democrats | PES | ||||||||
Cyprus is notably the only EU member state with a strong presidential system where the president serves as both head of government and head of state. [6] As a result the Cypriot legislature does not elect a prime minister,and instead,its members select the President of the Cypriot House of Representatives to head the body.
| Member state | Election | Legislature before | Head of Legislature before | Party | EU Party | Parliament after | Head of Legislature after | Party | EU Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | 24 May |  | Annita Demetriou | DISY | EPP | ||||||||
Portugal and Bulgaria directly elect their presidents,while the president of Estonia is elected indirectly by the Riigikogu. [7] . Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Bulgarian president Rumen Radev have each been elected twice and are constitutionally ineligible to serve third terms. [8] [9] Incumbent president Alar Karis is eligible for reelection,but has indicated that he is unlikely to do so and would like to see the office's electoral process reformed. [10]
| State | Date | President before | Party | EU Party | President after | Party | EU Party | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | 18 January | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | PSD | EPP | |||||||
| Estonia | 30 August | Alar Karis | Ind. | Ind. | |||||||
| Bulgaria | November | Rumen Radev | Ind. | Ind. | |||||||
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