Elections Archives

Former Romanian president Traian Băsescu was found Friday (20 September) by a court in Bucharest to have collaborated with the feared communist-era Securitate secret police.

On 10 November, Spain will hold its fourth general election since 2015. The vote is the result of the lack of statesmanship among the party leaders in a critical period, especially of Socialist chief Pedro Sánchez.

Poland's ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS/ECR) announced its election program at the weekend, under which there would no longer be immunity for judges and prosecutors and it would be possible to detain parliamentarians at the request of the prosecutor general.

Following German Chancellor Angela Merkel's appearance in the Bundestag debate on Wednesday (11 September), it seems clear that she will not change. And this is not such a bad thing. EURACTIV's partner der Tagesspiegel comments.

Poland's foreign ministry on Sunday (8 September) condemned violence against a group of Israeli students beaten at a Warsaw nightclub early on Saturday, following criticism that Polish leaders are not doing enough to denounce antisemitism.

Italy's new government, combining the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and centre-left Democratic Party (PD), was sworn into office on Thursday (5 September), promising to reset Rome's often fraught relations with Brussels.

Elections in Saxony and Brandenburg have changed the balance of power in these states. The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has recorded significant gains, while the more traditional parties (CDU and SPD) continue losing ground. EURACTIV Germany brings an overview of reactions by party leaders after the elections.

Spain's acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez will lay out plans on Tuesday (3 September) that he hopes will convince the far-left Unidas Podemos to support his last-ditch attempt to form a government and avoid a repeat election, he told El País newspaper.

Italy's outgoing interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has banned another migrant-rescue ship from docking in the country, using the issue of immigration to pile pressure on his main two political rivals as they seek to form a new government.

Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán commiserated Thursday (29 August) with Italy's outgoing far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, calling him a "fellow combatant" in the fight for the "preservation of European Christian heritage and against migration".

EU defence ministers discussed artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons – also called “killer robots” –, hybrid threats and conflicts stemming from climate change, EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini told the press after an informal Council meeting in Helsinki on Thursday (29 August).

State elections in Brandenburg and Saxony – two coal mining regions in former East Germany – are likely to reverberate across the country, and even Europe, EURACTIV Germany reports.

Wednesday (28 August) is D-Day for fraught negotiations to form a new Italian government, failing which the eurozone's third largest economy will be forced to hold fresh elections.

Romania's Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă vowed Tuesday (27 August) her Social Democratic party would not lose power despite being abandoned by their coalition partner and facing an opposition no-confidence vote.

Romania's ruling coalition collapsed Monday (26 August) when the junior partner announced it was pulling out in the latest setback to the governing Social Democrats two months before a presidential election.

The ruling 5-Star Movement and the opposition Democratic Party appeared on the verge of a deal to form a new Italian government on Monday (26 August) after the PD indicated it had abandoned a veto on Giuseppe Conte serving another term as prime minister.

Talks between Italy's anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) to form a new government have hit a stumbling block over the PD's opposition to Giuseppe Conte being reinstated as prime minister.

Lega chief Matteo Salvini's call for snap Italian elections after he turned on his own coalition partner faced mounting resistance on Sunday (11 August), with both his former 5-Star ally and the centre-left opposition seeking to put the brakes on.

Tension is mounting in Italy between its populist leaders over the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line, raising speculation the coalition government could collapse.

Austria's former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and leader of the conservative party is not excluding the idea of re-establishing a coalition with the country's far right, he said in an interview with the Austrian public broadcaster ORF. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Britain's Boris Johnson lost his first test as prime minister on Friday (2 August) after his candidate was edged out by a pro-EU rival in a by-election that slims his parliamentary majority to one.

An Italian coastguard vessel stranded in the Mediterranean with more than 130 migrants aboard has been allowed to dock in the Sicilian port of Augusta but Rome on Sunday (28 July) refused to let them disembark until a deal is struck with the EU.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Wednesday (24 July) he had continued trust in the League party within his coalition government despite allegations it had sought illicit funds from Russia.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă will run for president in November, the Social Democratic Party's (PSD) leadership decided Tuesday (23 July), in a bid to stop incumbent Klaus Iohannis winning a second term.