2026 in politics

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

The following political events have occurred or are scheduled to occur in 2026.

Events

January

• 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 9 – A majority of EU member states voted in favour of a free trade agreement with Mercosur. ^[5]
• 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. ^[6]
• January 17 – Protests occur throughout Greenland and Denmark over US president Donald Trump's threats to annex the territory. ^[7]
• January 18 – The first round of the 2026 Portuguese presidential election was held. ^[8]
• January 22 – The United States formally withdrew from the World Health Organization. ^[9]
• 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. ^[10]
  • Iliana Iotova was sworn is as president of Bulgaria following the resignation of Rumen Radev, becoming the first woman to hold the post. ^{[11] [12]}
• January 24 – The killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis fuels further protests across the United States. ^[13]
• January 27 – India and the European Union announced a trade deal after nearly 20 years of talks. ^[14]
• January 29 - EU sets more sanctions against government ministers of Iran, for example Iranian Interior minister and European Union sets Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on list of terror. ^[15]

Predicted and scheduled events

• February 5 – The New START Treaty is scheduled to expire. ^[16]
• February 8 – The 2026 Japanese general election is scheduled to be held.
• February 12 – The 2026 Bangladeshi general election is scheduled to be held. ^[17]
• February 22 – The 2026 Laotian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• March 5 – The 2026 Nepalese general election is scheduled to be held.
• March 8 – The 2026 Colombian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• March 15 – The 2026 Vietnamese legislative election is scheduled to be held.
• March 22
  • The 2026 Slovenian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
  • The 2026 Republic of the Congo presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• April 12
  • The 2026 Beninese presidential election is scheduled to be held.
  • The 2026 Peruvian general election is scheduled to be held.
  • The 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• May 31 – The 2026 Colombian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• June 1 – The 2026 Ethiopian general election is scheduled to be held.
• June 7 – The 2026 Armenian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• July 4 – United States Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary)
• August 13 – The 2026 Zambian general election is scheduled to be held.
• August 30 – 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.
• 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 27 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Israeli legislative election will be held no later than this date.
• October 31 – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Danish general 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.
• 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. ^[18]

Date unknown

• April
  • If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Djiboutian presidential election will be held no later than this date.
• May – The 2026 Lebanese general election is scheduled to be held.
• June – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 Algerian parliamentary election will be held no later than this date.
• July – If not triggered earlier, the 2026 São Toméan presidential election will be held no later than this date.
• September
  • The 2026 Moroccan general election is scheduled to be held.
  • The 2026 São Toméan parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.

• The 2026 Bulgarian parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.
• The 2026 Bulgarian presidential election is scheduled to be held.
• The 2026 Cape Verdean parliamentary election is scheduled to be held.

References

1. Thorpe, Nick (31 December 2025). "Bulgaria joins the euro after rocky path to new currency". BBC News . Retrieved 1 January 2026.
2. Izaguirre, Anthony (1 January 2026). "Zohran Mamdani sworn in as New York City mayor at historic subway station". Associated Press . Retrieved 1 January 2026.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Hooker, Lucy; Clun, Rachel (9 January 2026). "EU reaches South America trade deal after 25 years of talks". BBC News. Retrieved 12 January 2026.
6. 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.
7. Sprunt, Barbara (17 January 2026). "'Not for sale': massive protest in Copenhagen against Trump's desire to acquire Greenland". NPR . Retrieved 19 January 2026.
8. Khalip, Andrei; Goncalves, Sergio (19 January 2026). "Socialist, far-right candidate head for Portugal's presidential runoff". Reuters. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
9. Edwards, Erika; Jett, Jennifer (22 January 2026). "U.S. severs ties with WHO, raising concerns about flu epidemics". NBC News . Retrieved 26 January 2026.
10. 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.
11. "Румен Радев вече не е президент, държаве глава е Илиана Йотова" [Rumen Radev is no longer president, Iliana Yotova is the head of state] (in Bulgarian). 24 Chasa. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
12. 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.
13. Wilson, Tabby; Faguy, Ana (26 January 2026). "Trump says administration 'reviewing everything' after fatal shooting of Minneapolis nurse". BBC News. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
14. Acharya, Shivangi; Kumar, Manoj; Blenkinsop, Philip (27 January 2026). "India, EU reach landmark trade deal, tariffs to be slashed on most goods". Reuters. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
15. BILD.de: Entscheidung in Brüssel, EU stuft Irans Revolutionsgarde als Terrororganisation ein (german), January 2026
16. "New START to Expire in Two Years as Russia Refuses Talks". Arms Control Association. February 4, 2024. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
17. Foizee, Bahauddin (13 December 2025). "Bangladesh's Pivotal Election and Referendum Has a Date. Will Unrest Follow?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
18. "South Sudan postpones December elections by 2 years citing incomplete preparations". Associated Press News. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.

External links

• Media related to 2026 in politics at Wikimedia Commons