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Elections & Democracy — July 2026

Berlin election tests AfD and far-left Linke

Berlin's September 20 city-state election is shaping up around gains by the far-right AfD and the far-left Linke, with immigration, housing and the city's identity central to a polarised campaign. The AfD topped a Berlin poll for the first time last week, sco…

Ghana backs five-year presidential term proposal

Ghana's government on Thursday accepted a proposal to extend the presidential term from four years to five years and lower the minimum age for candidates to 35. Justice Minister Dominic Ayine told journalists that the government had accepted the recommendatio…

Elon Musk plans Republican midterm spending, Axios says

Axios reported Thursday that Elon Musk is preparing a major spending push to help Republicans retain control of Congress in November's midterm elections. The outlet, citing people familiar with the effort, said Musk plans to reactivate America PAC, the politi…

Zimbabwe changes could keep Mnangagwa in power to 2030

Zimbabwe's constitutional changes could allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in office until at least 2030, while opposition groups challenge the amendments in court and calls spread for protests or a national stayaway. The amendments, signed into law…

Israel election: October 7 inquiry and draft shape vote

Israel's October 27 election campaign is being shaped by disputes over an inquiry into Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, military conscription, security policy and the cost of living. Many Israelis have demanded an independent state commission of inquiry into f…

DR Congo court backs Tshisekedi third-term path

Democratic Republic of Congo's Constitutional Court has approved a bill that could create a path for President Felix Tshisekedi to seek a third term through constitutional change and a referendum. A coalition of main opposition parties on Wednesday denounced…

Nicaragua reform would extend Ortega term, ban rivals

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has added a proposed seven-year renewable presidential term to constitutional reforms that would also bar opponents of his rule from elections. The government-allied legislature received the proposal on Tuesday and plans to…

Iceland begins early voting on restarting EU accession talks

Iceland opened early voting on Monday for an August 29 referendum on whether the country should restart accession negotiations with the European Union, more than a decade after the talks were suspended. Voters are being asked: “Should Iceland reopen accession…

Trump's Republicans face tight midterm fight 100 days before vote

With 100 days left before the US midterm elections, President Donald Trump's Republicans face polling that points to a possible loss of the House of Representatives and a close fight to keep control of the Senate. Trump will not be on the November 3 ballot, b…

Maine Democrats choose Troy Jackson for key US Senate race

Maine Democrats chose Troy Jackson as their new candidate for a key US Senate race after their original nominee withdrew under pressure over sexual misconduct allegations. Delegates at a hastily organized nominating convention picked Jackson, a former state s…

Jair Bolsonaro denies authorizing deepfake video

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro denied authorizing the use of his image and voice in an AI-generated video endorsing his son Flavio Bolsonaro's candidacy in October elections. The denial came in a response from Bolsonaro's lawyers to Brazil's Supreme…

Flavio Bolsonaro campaigns as his father’s chosen political heir

Flavio Bolsonaro has become the main challenger to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s October election after his father, Jair Bolsonaro, named him as his political heir. The 45-year-old senator was not widely known nationally before that…

Trump says Venezuela is not ready for elections

US President Donald Trump said Venezuela is not ready to hold elections, more than seven months after a US military operation removed Nicolas Maduro from power. Asked about Venezuela in the Oval Office, Trump said the country was “not really ready” for electi…

Greek prime minister says no early elections in autumn

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis denied on Friday that he planned to call early elections, as his government faces pressure from an EU farm subsidy scandal. Mitsotakis told Open TV that elections "will not be held in the autumn". He said his New Democ…

Flavio Bolsonaro raises disputed claims about Brazil voting system

Brazilian right-wing presidential hopeful Flavio Bolsonaro raised concerns about the country’s electronic voting system at a private gathering with diplomats on Tuesday night, citing claims about Smartmatic that Brazilian election authorities have denied. Fla…

France proposes tougher penalties for election disinformation

The French government unveiled a bill on 22 July 2026 that would increase penalties for spreading disinformation before and during elections. The proposal comes before France holds a two-round presidential election next spring to replace President Emmanuel Ma…

Colombia Congress rejects president-elect's Senate candidate

Colombia's new Congress dealt an early setback to hard-right president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella on Monday by voting against his candidate for president of the Senate. Congress instead chose a leader from the party of former president Alvaro Uribe, who h…

Israel's HaDemokratim party starts campaign for October election

Israel's largest leftist party launched its campaign on Monday for the legislative election due in October, after choosing its list of candidates in primaries. HaDemokratim, or the Democrats, is led by former deputy military chief of staff Yair Golan. The par…

East African dissidents seek fragile refuge in Kenya

Dozens of Ugandans and Tanzanians are believed to be hiding in Kenya after recent elections in their countries were followed by arrests, kidnappings and killings. Five refugees agreed to speak, and each said they knew between 20 and 40 other people who had fl…

Sao Tome and Principe president wins re-election

Sao Tome and Principe’s incumbent president, Carlos Vila Nova, won re-election in the first round of the country’s presidential vote, the national electoral commission announced. The commission said Vila Nova received 56 percent in Sunday’s ballot, while Nito…

Macron urges caution over polls predicting Le Pen win

French President Emmanuel Macron urged caution over surveys predicting that far-right candidate Marine Le Pen could win next year's election to choose his successor. Speaking on Friday at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Macron s…

Trump says national address will cover election integrity

US President Donald Trump said he would discuss "free and fair" voting in a national address scheduled for Thursday, while also saying he would raise other subjects. Asked in the Oval Office on Tuesday whether the address would involve election machines and i…

Report details hired political violence in Kenya before 2027 vote

A report on political violence in Kenya says politicians are hiring armed groups, known locally as “goons,” for low daily payments as competition rises before elections due in August 2027. The report says the groups are hired in dozens or hundreds to disrupt…

Main parties line up for Israel's October election

Israel will hold a general election on October 27, the Knesset announced, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud facing challenges from new and existing parties across the political spectrum. Likud, led by Netanyahu, currently has 32 of the Knesset's…