What Happened With Elections?

Every summary we've sent on Elections since January 1, 2025, newest first, each linked to its source. Each brief goes up here 14 days after our readers get it by text the morning it happens. Get today's brief here.

The Latest on Elections

Monday, October 5, 2026

Full Brief
  1. 3

    Brazil Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro) leads presidential election with >56M votes (vs incumbent President Lula's 53.7M); Both advance to Oct 25 runoff (2nd-round vote after neither wins >50% of valid votes)

Every Summary on Elections

October 20261 Summary

  1. Monday, October 5, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      Brazil Senator Flavio Bolsonaro (son of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro) leads presidential election with >56M votes (vs incumbent President Lula's 53.7M); Both advance to Oct 25 runoff (2nd-round vote after neither wins >50% of valid votes)

September 20265 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, September 30, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Morocco's King Mohammed VI appoints 50yo lawyer & outgoing housing minister Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri as country's 1st female PM after her party wins most seats in Sep 23 parliamentary election

  2. Monday, September 28, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic resigns ahead of Oct 25 snap parliamentary election to "participate as ordinary citizen"; National Assembly Speaker Ana Brnabic becomes Acting President amid ~2yrs of anti-corruption protests

  3. Tuesday, September 15, 2026Full Brief
    1. 3

      US Supreme Court keeps (7-2) Trump's mail voting restrictions blocked for 2026 midterms; Blocked plan would require states to submit voter lists & use specific ballot envelope barcodes for Postal Service delivery

  4. Monday, September 14, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      US deports 47yo Afghan woman after she concedes legal designation as terrorist in 1st use of 1996 federal court for deporting noncitizens deemed terrorists; DOJ says she backed family's planned 2024 ISIS-inspired Election Day mass shooting

  5. Friday, September 11, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dissolves parliament & schedules Oct 25 early election (originally due in 2027) as he seeks PM role after 12yrs in power amid ~2yrs of anti-corruption protests

August 20261 Summary

  1. Friday, August 21, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Bangladesh elects (255-88) 78yo ruling party veteran Mirza Fakhrul as president in country's 1st presidential election with multiple candidates since 1991; Win follows ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's 2024 ouster & 18mo interim rule

July 20264 Summaries

  1. Tuesday, July 21, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega says "there won't be any more elections," canceling planned 2027 election & extending his 19yr rule, saying "US-backed parties will not return to power"

  2. Monday, July 20, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok signs constitutional amendment ending his term after government cites "failure to block ex-PM Orban's anti-democratic actions"; Parliament Speaker assumes presidency pending election within 30 days

  3. Monday, July 6, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Peru declares Keiko Fujimori winner of presidential election with 50.1% of votes (vs Roberto Sanchez' 49.9%); 51yo daughter of ex-President Alberto Fujimori takes office Jul 28

  4. Wednesday, July 1, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Supreme Court rules (5-4) states can count mail-in ballots received up to 5 days later if mailed by Election Day, rejecting Trump-backed challenge & affirming "states determine receipt deadlines"

June 20262 Summaries

  1. Thursday, June 25, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Trump-endorsed political newcomer Abelardo de la Espriella wins Colombia presidency with 13M votes (vs progressive Ivan Cepeda's 12.7M); Election sees record turnout (>26M voters)

    2. 6

      Federal judge blocks Trump admin from requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration, citing "lack of presidential authority over election rules"; Ruling also protects states' ability to count eligible mail ballots received after Election Day

April 20262 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, April 15, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Benin elects 49yo Romuald Wadagni as president (94%, 90% ballots counted, 59% turnout per electoral commission); Opposition disqualified from ballot for "failing endorsement rules"

  2. Monday, April 6, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Myanmar parliament elects 69yo junta chief Min Aung Hlaing as president; Vote follows military-backed election widely criticized after 2021 coup that ousted former state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi

March 20262 Summaries

  1. Friday, March 20, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Congo Republic President Denis Sassou Nguesso wins re-election with 95% of vote, extending ~42yr rule; 82yo Nguesso is Africa's 3rd longest-serving leader

  2. Friday, March 13, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Nepal's Rastriya Swatantra Party wins landslide election with 182/275 parliament seats in 1st vote since youth-led protests ousted PM Oli, positioning rapper-turned-Kathmandu mayor Balendra Shah to become next PM

February 20263 Summaries

  1. Friday, February 13, 2026Full Brief
    1. 6

      Bangladesh holds 1st election since 2024 protests that ousted ex-PM Sheikh Hasina with 120M+ voters choosing among 2K candidates for 300 parliament seats

  2. Tuesday, February 10, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Japanese PM Takaichi wins (316-149) snap-election landslide securing supermajority, strengthening mandate for military buildup, male-only imperial succession & nuclear reactor restart

  3. Monday, February 2, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      DOJ releases 3.5M documents "in compliance with Epstein Files Transparency Act," including 2K+ videos & 180K images; DOJ says "redactions limited to victim protection" & "files include unverified submissions, false claims against Trump from pre-2020 election period"

January 20264 Summaries

  1. Monday, January 26, 2026Full Brief
    1. 4

      Japanese PM Takaichi dissolves parliament & calls for snap parliamentary election, seeking mandate for policies including stronger military, male-only imperial succession & nuclear reactor reactivation

  2. Wednesday, January 21, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Bulgaria's President Radev resigns ahead of snap election, marking 1st presidential resignation since country's post-communist transition in 1989

  3. Tuesday, January 20, 2026Full Brief
    1. 5

      Ugandan President Museveni wins 7th term with >70% amid opponent's claims of fraud, "ballot stuffing" & polling staff kidnappings; 81yo Museveni ruled 40yrs after removing constitutional term limits in 2005

  4. Wednesday, January 7, 2026Full Brief
    1. 1

      Minimum wage hikes take effect across 19 US states, lifting pay for ~8M workers via inflation adjustments, new laws & ballot measures, with several states raising to $15/hr+ & Washington setting highest state rate at $17.13

November 20253 Summaries

  1. Friday, November 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      Guinea-Bissau military seizes power in coup, deposing President Embalo, suspending state institutions, halting vote process & closing borders after disputed election; Country's 4th coup since 1973 independence from Portugal

  2. Wednesday, November 12, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      BBC Director General & News CEO resign over edited Trump speech aired before 2024 election; Chairman apologizes as Trump threatens $1B lawsuit against world's oldest broadcaster

  3. Tuesday, November 11, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      Trump pardons 77 people accused of 2020 election-related offenses (federal crimes only, not state charges), including former lawyer Rudy Giuliani, ex-chief of staff Mark Meadows & attorney Sidney Powell

October 20251 Summary

  1. Tuesday, October 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      World's oldest president, Paul Biya, wins (54%) Cameroon election at 92yo, extending 43yr rule; Opposition's Tchiroma (35%) claims victory as fraud allegations spark deadly protests with 4 killed, 105+ arrested

July 20251 Summary

  1. Wednesday, July 23, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Japanese PM Shigeru Ishiba announces resignation in Aug (less than 1yr in office) after his Liberal Democratic Party's parliamentary election defeat on Mon under growing pressure from far-right

June 20257 Summaries

  1. Monday, June 30, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      140k+ Serbian anti-government protesters allege widespread corruption & demand early elections vs current President Vucic (12yr rule); Demonstrations quickly spread but met with riot police, leading to 100+ arrests

  2. Thursday, June 26, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      33yo democratic socialist Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani surprisingly beats former NY Gov Cuomo in nationally-watched NYC Democratic mayoral primary, setting him up as top contestant for Nov election; Mamdani would be NYC's 1st Muslim & Indian-American mayor

  3. Friday, June 13, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Israel PM Netanyahu's government narrowly survives opposition's attempt to dissolve parliament & trigger early reelection after appeasing Ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties' demand that religious students be military-exempt

  4. Wednesday, June 4, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Liberal opposition candidate 61yo Lee Jae-myung wins (49%) S Korea's presidency vs rival Kim Moon-soo from same party as President Yoon whose impeachment over declaring martial law triggered snap election; Highest voter turnout (79%) in 28yrs

  5. Tuesday, June 3, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Dutch government collapses after Geert Wilders' anti-immigration populist Party for Freedom withdraws from right-wing governing coalition, citing loose asylum measures, triggering snap elections <1yr since taking office; Migration policy collapsed Netherlands' previous government in 2023

  6. Monday, June 2, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Mexico becomes 1st country to hold popular vote to elect (instead of appoint) entire judiciary branch; 7.7K candidates vying for 2.6K positions, including Supreme Court; Sunday's election sees low turnout (13% of 100M voters vs 60% in presidential election last year); Results on Jun 15

    2. 5

      Trump-backed nationalist & eurosceptic Karol Nawrocki narrowly wins (51%) Poland's presidential election against pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski

May 20258 Summaries

  1. Monday, May 19, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Centrist Bucharest Mayor Nicusor Dan wins (54%) Romanian presidency vs hard-right George Simion (46%); Runoff initiated by annulment of Nov vote & barring of far-right candidate Calin Georgescu for alleged Russian interference

    2. 4

      Centrist Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski wins 32% of vote vs populist Karol Nawrocki (30%) in Poland's 13-candidate presidential election; Both now headed for Jun 1 runoff

  2. Friday, May 9, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Cardinal Robert Prevost (69yo) elected in 4th ballot to lead 1.4B Catholics as 267th Pope Leo XIV; He is 1st US (Chicago-born) & Augustinian pontiff; Prevost spent much of his ministry in Peru

  3. Thursday, May 8, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Papal conclave continues since yesterday as 133 cardinals move into 4th election round without winner; 80% of cardinals participate in conclave for 1st time

  4. Wednesday, May 7, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      German parliament elects conservative Friedrich Merz as country's 10th chancellor in 2nd voting round; Merz is 1st chancellor in Germany's post-WWII history to lose 1st round ballot (despite his coalition holding parliamentary majority)

  5. Tuesday, May 6, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Romania's nationalist-populist presidential candidate George Simion wins 1st round of elections (41%) preparing for May 18 runoff vs centrist Bucharest mayor (21%) as EU & NATO member country determines its alignment with Europe

  6. Monday, May 5, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      Singapore's People's Action Party wins election (66%), extending continuous 66yr rule that transformed developing country into one of Asia's wealthiest hubs

  7. Friday, May 2, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      S Korea's acting president PM Han Duck-soo (who replaced impeached president Yoon Suk Yeol) resigns, announcing presidential bid in Jun 3 snap election; Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok (next in line) shortly resigns in anticipation of impeachment ruling against him; Education Minister Lee Ju-ho now acting president

April 20258 Summaries

  1. Tuesday, April 29, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Mark Carney wins Canadian snap election (43%), remaining incumbent PM & securing 4th consecutive term for Liberals

    2. 6

      Vatican's papal conclave (secret election) begins May 7 with 135 eligible cardinals electing 267th pontiff of 1.4B member Roman Catholic church

  2. Monday, April 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Canadian snap election today pits incumbent Liberal PM Mark Carney (leading polls) vs Conservative challenger Pierre Poilievre

  3. Friday, April 25, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      DC federal judge sides with plaintiffs (including Democratic Party) to temporarily block Trump's election overhaul executive order, which requires citizenship documentation & mail-in vote count before election day

  4. Monday, April 14, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Conservative 37yo millionaire Daniel Noboa reelected Ecuador President on crime crackdown campaign begun 16mo ago when he won country's snap elections

  5. Friday, April 11, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      S Korea's snap presidential election set for June 3, following incumbent president Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment & removal last week

  6. Wednesday, April 2, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Susan Crawford wins pivotal Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, maintaining Democrat majority (4-3) by defeating Republican Trump-Musk-backed Schimel in election viewed as current administration's early test; Most expensive court race in US history spent ~$100M, double of previous $51M 2023 record (also in Wisconsin)

  7. Tuesday, April 1, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Swing state Wisconsin votes today on its new State Supreme Court judge, choosing between Trump-backed conservative Schimel & liberal Crawford; Election beat spend records ($76M+) as Elon Musk handed 2 Schimel voters $1M checks

March 20257 Summaries

  1. Wednesday, March 26, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Trump signs executive order restructuring US elections, requiring documentary citizenship proof & receipt of all ballots by Election Day

    2. 2

      Belarusian President Lukashenko sworn in for 7th term (31yrs in power), claiming 87% of votes in election internationally condemned as farce; Opposition jailed or exiled in dissent crackdown

  2. Monday, March 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Largest wave of protests in decade engulfs Turkey after President Erdogan imprisons main political opponent Istanbul Mayor Imamoglu ahead of elections; 350+ protesters arrested in escalating anti-Erdogan demonstrations in 55/81 provinces

  3. Thursday, March 13, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Portugal's ruling center-right government collapses after losing confidence vote in parliament, triggering 3rd general election in 3yrs

  4. Wednesday, March 12, 2025Full Brief
    1. 5

      Center-right opposition party Demokraatit wins (30% of vote) Greenland's parliamentary elections advocating for Greenland's gradual independence from Denmark amid Trump's interest in territory

    2. 8

      Romania's constitutional court bans populist-right candidate Calin Georgescu from May's rescheduled presidential elections over Russian interference allegations

  5. Wednesday, March 5, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Austria swears in 3-party government after 5mo of uncertainty; Conservative, Social Democrat & Liberal parties combine to prevent far-right pro-Russia Freedom Party from coming to power despite winning election in Sep

February 20256 Summaries

  1. Monday, February 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Conservatives (Friedrich Merz) win German elections with 29% of vote at country's highest voter turnout (83%) since reunification in 1990; Far right (Alice Weidel) comes second (21%)

    2. 5

      Longest-serving Republican Senate party leader Mitch McConnell (83yo) to retire before 2026 reelection

  2. Thursday, February 20, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Following US-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia, Trump calls Ukrainian President Zelenskyy (who was excluded from talks) "grossly incompetent" dictator responsible for starting the war & calls for elections in Ukraine, echoing Russian propaganda; Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022 in 1st European land war since 1945, committing numerous war crimes; Zelenskyy was elected by 75% vote, still supported by 57%+ of Ukrainians (higher approval vs Trump's 45%) & overwhelmingly by EU

  3. Wednesday, February 19, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Brazilian Ex-President Bolsonaro charged with coup instigation after losing 2022 election by chief prosecutor, case now reviewed by Supreme Court

  4. Tuesday, February 18, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      Germany to hold snap elections on Sun, as EU's largest economy struggles with economic growth & immigration reform; Center-right Friedrich Merz (Christian Democrats party) favored among 5 chancellor candidates

  5. Friday, February 14, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      Afghan national detained after ramming car into Munich crowd, injuring 30+ & reigniting Germany's immigration debate ahead of its Feb 23 elections; Afgh*nistan offers to cooperate with suspect's deportation for reestablishment of its consulate

January 202513 Summaries

  1. Tuesday, January 28, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      California's "Calexit" secession from US accepted to collect signatures for Nov 2028 ballot, requiring 50% participation & 55% approval; If passed, it would declare "vote of no confidence" but not change state's relationship with US; Proposal led by Fresno activist Marcus Evans follows 2 unsuccessful attempts in late 2010s

  2. Friday, January 24, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Trump signs executive order promoting cryptocurrency via broad deregulation & exploring federal crypto stockpile; Earlier, Trump appointed pro-crypto leaders to his administration: Paul Atkins for SEC, Scott Bessent for Treasury, David Sacks as White House Crypto "Czar" marking reversal to Trump's crypto criticism in 1st term; Crypto players accounted for nearly half of corporate donations in 2024 elections

    2. 4

      Belarus holds presidential election expected to extend current pro-Russian President Lukashenko's 30yr rule, criticized as sham with many challengers barred from running

  3. Friday, January 17, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani reaches tentative settlement of $148M defamation case with 2 ex Georgia election workers

  4. Tuesday, January 14, 2025Full Brief
    1. 1

      DOJ releases 1st volume of Special Counsel Jack Smith's report finding Trump illegally tried to overturn 2020 election with enough evidence for conviction if he hadn't won re-election in 2024

  5. Monday, January 13, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      US raised arrest reward for Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro to $25M citing drug trafficking charges after he was sworn in for 3rd term despite credible evidence of election loss

    2. 6

      DOJ special counsel Jack Smith resigned after submitting final report on mishandling classified documents & 2020 election interference probes into Trump

  6. Friday, January 10, 2025Full Brief
    1. 4

      Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro sworn in for 3rd 6yr term despite evidence opponent won election; Venezuelan authorities briefly detained opposition leader Maria Corina Machado after protest, reportedly coercing her into recording videos

  7. Thursday, January 9, 2025Full Brief
    1. 2

      Lebanon's parliament elected its head of army General Joseph Aoun as new president, ending 2yrs of political deadlock where it tried but failed to pick president 12 times; US, France, & Saudi Arabia reportedly urged his election; Outcome shows loss of influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah

  8. Tuesday, January 7, 2025Full Brief
    1. 6

      Congress certified President-elect Trump's win in 2024 election

  9. Monday, January 6, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      House re-elects Rep Mike Johnson R-LA on 1st ballot after 2 GOP holdouts switch

  10. Friday, January 3, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Canada to host G7 summit in 2025 (7th time as host), advancing priorities of support for Ukraine & global financial institutions reform; Potential Canadian reelections could affect PM Trudeau's leadership in it

  11. Thursday, January 2, 2025Full Brief
    1. 3

      Indonesia (world’s largest Muslim country by population) lowers its 20% vote threshold for presidential elections in response to successful challenge from group of students, increasing range of candidates ahead of its 2029 election

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