About: presidential elections
Austria’s close shave with the extreme right
Austria's next President, the Green-backed independent Alexander Van de Bellen, edged out FPÖ candidate Norbert Hofer in a tight second round vote, which saw one of Europe’s strongest nationalist parties triumph in rural areas and among male voters. EURACTIV France reports.
Election failure a potential springboard for Le Pen presidential campaign
The French regional election campaigns were fought largely on national issues, which has given the mainstream parties a foretaste of the battle to come in the presidential 2017 elections. EURACTIV France reports.
European Commission officially backs government candidate in Greek elections
?In an unprecedented move, the new Commission on Wednesday (10 December) decided to formally back a political candidate running for president in Greece, and applauded the Greek government for calling snap elections.
Deeply divided Italian MPs fail to elect a president
Italy's parliament failed to elect a new state president in the first two votes on Thursday (18 April) with a centre-left rebellion against leader Pier Luigi Bersani torpedoing his official candidate and prolonging a political stalemate.New Slovenian president faces growing social unrest
The austerity measures introduced by the current government have brought many people to the streets to defend their social rights, and the belief that Slovenia should remain firmly grounded on the premises of a modern welfare state, writes Marko Bucik.
EU policymakers fret about US election, quietly support Obama
A change of face at the White House would clearly have an impact on transatlantic relations, according to EU policymakers in Brussels contacted by EURACTIV. Although the European Union is closely watching the US presidential campaign, politicians are reluctant to take sides. VideoPromoted content
‘Super Sunday’ to decide fate of Europe
The second largest economy in Europe and a debt-ridden country on the brink of default. France and Greece are holding elections this Sunday in what can be the day that Europe re-shapes its economic future. According to the latest polls, French socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande is 7 points ahead of his rival President Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande has openly rejected the current austerity trend that dominates Europe in favour of growth-oriented measures.
Attali: A federal Europe is the only crisis exit strategy
The only way to save the euro and get Europe out the crisis while maintaining people’s living standards is to change EU treaties to have a more integrated union, Jacques Attali said in an exclusive interview with EURACTIV.Where did Ukraine’s Yushchenko go wrong?
Five years ago, Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko was swept to power as the father of the pro-Western 'Orange Revolution' but is now facing defeat as he bids to win a second term in presidential elections due next Sunday. Reuters' Richard Balmforth asks where it all went wrong.Croatian socialist in strong position ahead of presidential run-off
Social Democratic candidate Ivo Josipovic, an international law professor and music composer, emerged as the winner from the first round of presidential elections in Croatia, held on 27 December 2009. He won 32.44% of the vote, with a comfortable 18% lead over the second-placed contender, independent candidate Milan Bandic.EU elections in Romania: Searching for a ‘captain’
EU elections will take place in Romania on 7 June, but Romanian politicians and commentators admit that debates are being hijacked by disputes over the upcoming presidential poll, which is due in the autumn.
Slovakia set for tight presidential run-off
Slovakia's President Ivan Gašparovi? won the first round of presidential elections at the weekend (21 March). But with a lead of just 8.7 percentage points over opposition candidate Iveta Radi?ová, both frontrunners must mobilise more voters ahead of the run-off on 4 April, reports EURACTIV Slovakia.
Interview: Finance, climate to boost ‘EU-US cooperation’
The ongoing financial turmoil and cooperation on climate change will shape relations between the EU and the US after the 4 November presidential elections, argues Tom Spencer, the executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, in an interview with EURACTIV.
Spencer: Joint EU-US action on crisis ‘inevitable’
Joint action from the EU and US to address the financial crisis "must inevitably precede global cooperation," argues Tom Spencer, the executive director of the European Centre for Public Affairs, in an interview with EURACTIV.What Europe may expect from an Obama Presidency
As the US presidential elections approach, questions are being asked as to what Europeans may expect from a potential Obama presidency, writes Julianne Smith in a blog post on Atlantic-community.org.
Putin’s man wins Russian elections amid criticism
Vladimir Putin's candidate Dmitry Medvedev won an unsurprising victory in Russia's presidential elections on 2 March, with critics saying the vote was a "mockery" marking the country's "retreat from democracy".
Czech presidential election heads for new round
Neither incumbent Václav Klaus nor challenger Jan Švejnar emerged victorious after three rounds of voting in the Czech presidential election over the weekend. Attention now shifts to February 15 when both candidates will contest another vote. (Based on reporting from EURACTIV Czech Republic).
EU cautiously endorses Georgia’s election results
The EU has congratulated the 'peaceful conduct' of the presidential elections in Georgia, but refrained from any further comment until the final results are known. The incumbent President Mikheil Saakashvili is emerging as the winner of Saturday's elections with most of the votes having been counted.Resolving Ukraine crisis
An agreement to hold early parliamentary elections may be the compromise that resolves Ukraine's ongoing political crisis, writes Anna Górska in EastWeek newsletter.Turkish political crisis deepens
The only presidential candidate, moderate Islamist Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, has pulled out of the Turkish elections, after the second round of votes failed in the parliament due to a boycott of the secularist opposition. The move comes as another blow to Erdogan's crisis-shaken government.Turkey heading for early elections in July
In order to end the current political crisis, Turkey will hold general elections on 22 July, following a decision by a parliamentary committee. The EU has expressed support for the early elections, in hopes of restoring political stability.