In 2025, many countries will have elections. What you need to know

In 2025, a number of countries will hold important elections that will affect world politics. Germany will elect a new composition and head of the Bundestag, a pro-Russian party may come to power in the Czech Republic, and Moldova will test President Maya Sandu. Romania will try to elect a president at the second attempt, and Canada may have a new prime minister. What political processes are worth watching in 2025 - in the material of "Izvestia".

Germany

- Early parliamentary elections in Germany will be held on February 23. They were scheduled after the coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Greens and the Free Democratic Party (FDP), formed in 2021, disintegrated (we wrote in detail about the causes and consequences of its collapse here). It replaced the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU), which had formed the government since 2005.

- During the three years in power, the three-party coalition has noticeably weakened its position, which is expected to be reflected in the results of the upcoming elections. The FDP has almost no chance of passing the 5 percent threshold, while the SPD and the Greens can count on no more than 30 percent of the vote.

- The leader of the polls, however, is the CDU/CSU bloc, which alone consistently receives more than 30 percent approval. Its head Friedrich Merz is considered the next likely chancellor instead of Olaf Scholz. He supports sending long-range missiles to Ukraine and closing the borders to illegal migrants. However, the Christian Democrats will still have to form a coalition with some other party to form a government.

A period of disintegration: what awaits Germany after the dissolution of the Bundestag

What the composition of the new governing coalition may be and how it will affect German foreign policy

- A significant development for the elections should be the participation of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AdF) and the left-wing Sarah Wagenknecht Union (BSW). They are predicted to improve their positions, allowing them to push their anti-sanctions and anti-Eurointegration policies more actively. However, with both of these parties, mainstream forces refuse to negotiate a coalition, despite their growing importance.

Moldova

- Moldavia is due to hold parliamentary elections no later than July 11. They will elect 101 members of parliament on party lists for four years. So far, the exact date of the elections has not been determined.

- According to preliminary polls, the ruling Action and Solidarity party, founded by President Maia Sandu, is in the lead. However, it may lose the absolute majority achieved in 2021. The results of the presidential election and the referendum on EU membership in 2024 showed minimal support for the current pro-Western course of the country.

- The leading opposition forces in Moldova are the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM) and Ilan Shor's Victory bloc, which hold about a third of the seats in the current parliament. The opposition Nasha Party may also overcome the 5 percent barrier.

Czech Republic

- In the Czech Republic, parliamentary elections will be held until early October. 200 deputies will be elected to the parliament. These elections will be one of the most unpredictable in Europe. Now the government of the country is formed by the liberal-conservative coalition "Together", consisting of three parties, and the party "Starosty and Independents". Opposing it is the populist ANO 2011 of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.

- Following the local elections of 2024, polls show that ANO 2011 enjoys the support of voters and can achieve a majority in parliament. However, it does not yet have a clear lead, and the Liberals could still regain sympathy in ten months. A victory for ANO 2011 would lead to a reversal of Czech foreign policy from pro-Western to one similar to that of Slovakia and Hungary.

Canada

- In Canada, parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on October 20. MPs are elected in single-member districts. Conservatives and Liberals usually compete for power, with a small number of seats going to minor and provincial parties. Currently, the government is formed by the Liberals led by Justin Trudeau, cooperating with the New Democratic Party (NDP).

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The country awaits the resignation of the Prime Minister

- However, the coalition could break up as early as January. The NDP announced that after coming out of recess it would bring a vote of no confidence in Trudeau, after which a snap election could be called for April-May. The reason for the rupture was the resignation of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, under whom the budget deficit has grown dramatically. The Liberals are rapidly losing popularity, thanks to which the Conservatives can not only retake power, but also gain a majority in Parliament. At the same time, the NDP is bidding to oust the Liberals from second place, which would be a shock to Canada's political system.

USA

- The most important election in the U.S. has already taken place, but in 2025 the results will take effect. On January 20, Donald Trump will be inaugurated and will officially begin his second term as president. And on January 3, the 119th Congress, which underwent some changes following the November elections, will begin its work.

- In the Senate, Republicans will have a majority. They will occupy 52 seats out of 100, while the Democrats will have 47 seats (one more remains vacant). In the House of Representatives, the Republican Party retains the majority with 219 elected members, but the Democrats have only four fewer representatives. This gap could be bridged under certain circumstances, given the heterogeneity of the Republicans.

- The Republicans' modest lead could make itself felt as early as the election for Speaker of the House. Current Speaker Mike Johnson will be seeking re-election, but the recent scandal over late-enacted government funding has turned some fellow Republicans against him. Without the support of several Republicans, Johnson will not be able to win re-election immediately, and this will be the first test of the new Congress.

Romania

- Romania was supposed to have a new president as early as December 8 to succeed incumbent Klaus Iohannis. However, the elections ended in an unprecedented manner. In the first round, Calin Georgescu, described as a pro-Russian candidate, unexpectedly won. The Constitutional Court ruled that he allegedly enjoyed Russian support in his online campaign and canceled the election results.

"There is no request for anti-Russian alarmism in Romania"

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- A new election date has not yet been set. The new government should appoint it, but it itself was never formed after the parliamentary elections. Until the date is set, Johannis continues to fulfill his duties, which should have ended on December 21. Polling stations are not expected to open until March 2025 at the earliest.

- If the results of the first round had not been canceled, Georgescu would have competed in the second round against Elena Lasconi, who comes from a pro-European position. Before the runoff vote, she won the support of almost all the candidates who lost to her and Georgescu, so she could count on a final victory.

Belarus

- Belarus will hold its seventh presidential election on January 26. They will be held almost six months earlier than the end of the powers of the current head of state Alexander Lukashenko. The previous election, which he won, was held on August 9, 2020.

- Despite allowing Lukashenko to reject the possibility of re-election, he ran as a candidate, collecting more than 2.5 million signatures in his support. Four other candidates, each of whom received less than 150,000 signatures, were placed on the ballot. Unlike the previous elections, the current one will not be held outside Belarus. Domestic polling stations will be organized for citizens living outside the country.