Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and
Presidential Elections
Updated January 16, 2024
Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov
R46858

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Introduction
This report provides a map of parliamentary and presidential elections that are scheduled to be
held at the national level in Europe in 2024, and a table of recent and upcoming parliamentary
and presidential elections at the national level in Europe. It includes dates for direct parliamentary
elections only, and excludes indirect elections.1
Europe is defined in this product as the 50 countries under the portfolio of the U.S. Department of
State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. The report does not include the Holy See
(Vatican City), as there are not any direct presidential or parliamentary elections held there.
Electoral rules and governance structures can vary widely across European countries.
Seventeen European countries are scheduled to hold direct presidential and/or parliamentary
elections in 2024. Some dates are subject to change due to snap elections, parliamentary votes of
no confidence, or other factors. In 2024, snap elections2 are scheduled to be held to date in two
European countries—Azerbaijan and Portugal—but elections may also be called in other
European countries during the course of 2024. For instance, the United Kingdom’s prime minister
has said that he expects to call elections in the second half of 2024, and Ireland is widely
expected to hold early elections this year. Ukraine was originally scheduled to hold a presidential
election by March 2024 (parliamentary elections were to occur by October 2023). However,
Ukrainian law does not allow elections to occur under martial law, which has been in effect since
the February 24, 2022, Russian invasion.
For reference, dates are included for elections that the governments of Azerbaijan, Belarus, and
the Russian Federation have announced. These three governments do not hold elections that
international observers consider to be free or fair.
Parliament, or the legislative body, may be unicameral, with one legislative chamber, or
bicameral, with a lower and upper chamber. In bicameral systems, the lower chamber is usually
directly elected by the people and is the more powerful of the two (for example, the House of
Commons in the United Kingdom). The upper chamber is frequently appointed or indirectly
elected, and has more limited powers (for example, the House of Lords in the United Kingdom).
Both the lower and upper chambers are directly elected in six countries (Czech Republic, Italy,
Poland, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland).
The presidential election process in European countries varies.3 In many European countries,
presidents or heads of state are elected directly by the people in a popular vote; however, in 13

1 A direct election is an election where a political party or elected representative is chosen directly through a vote of the
citizens. An indirect election is one where the citizen’s vote for an intermediate body that is empowered to select the
elected official(s).
2 In a parliamentary system, a snap election is an election that is held prior to its regularly scheduled date.
3 In parliamentary republics, the president as head of state typically has a ceremonial and largely nonpolitical role. In
these republics, executive power arises from the legislature and is vested in a prime minister as head of government. In
some parliamentary republics, the prime minister is chosen as part of political party negotiations following
parliamentary elections; in others, the prime minister may be chosen by the president and/or approved by the
parliament. The role of prime minister is often fulfilled by the leader of the majority party or majority coalition of
parliament. In presidential republics, presidents are elected directly by the people and serve as both the head of state
and the head of government. Cyprus and Turkey (Türkiye) are the only countries in Europe with a full presidential
system. See Table 1, footnotes n and o for more information on Turkey. Semi-presidential republics, such as France,
are a hybrid of these systems, providing for both a directly elected president and a prime minister responsible to
parliament.
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countries, presidents are indirectly elected by Members of Parliament.4 There are 12 monarchies
in Europe, including the Holy See.5 In lieu of a president, monarchs typically serve as the head of
state with limited or ceremonial powers.6 In these instances, presidential elections are denoted as
N/A or nonapplicable in the table below.
CRS has gathered the information presented in this report from numerous sources, including the
U.S. Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s) World Factbook, International
Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and
other news sources.
Figure 1 includes a map and calendar of the European parliamentary and presidential elections
held in 2023.
Table 1 provides the dates of the last and next parliamentary and presidential direct elections in
Europe. The “last election/runoff” column displays the dates of the most recent direct
parliamentary and/or presidential elections. In many instances, the “last election/runoff” column
includes more than one date, as parliamentary and/or presidential elections may occur in two-
rounds with the top two candidates from an initial election advancing to a runoff election if no
candidate receives a majority (this is the system in France).
The “next election” column indicates the projected date when the next direct national election is
expected to be held, based on law or practice. In most European countries, general elections occur
at least once every four to six years. Unless laws or decisions in a particular country set a specific
election day, dates are calculated based on the dates of the most recent election and length of the
term. Elections that are expected to occur by a specific month/year are listed in the table
according to that month/year.
European Elections in 2024
Seventeen European countries are scheduled to hold either presidential and/or parliamentary
elections in 2024.

4 The 13 countries are Albania, Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Malta,
San Marino, and Switzerland.
5 Per the CIA World Factbook, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,
and the United Kingdom are considered constitutional monarchies. Belgium is referred to as a parliamentary
democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The Holy See is labeled an ecclesiastical elective monarchy (or “absolute
monarchy”). Andorra is considered a “parliamentary democracy” that retains its heads of state in the form of a co-
principality; “the two princes–the president of France and the Spanish bishop of Urgell–serve with joint authority as
heads of state.” For more information see https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/.
6 Some parliamentary systems, such as that of the United Kingdom, coexist with hereditary monarchies. In these
systems, called parliamentary constitutional monarchies, monarchs typically serve as the head of state with limited or
ceremonial powers. Prime ministers serve as the head of government, and may be appointed formally by the monarch,
based on election results and often with the approval of parliament.
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Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

Figure 1. European Elections in 2024

Source: Created by CRS, using data from the U.S. Department of State, Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA’s)
World Factbook, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide, Economist Intelligence
Unit (EIU), and other news sources.
Notes: Table is current as of January 12, 2024. Table includes direct elections only. Ukraine is not included, as
elections cannot occur while under martial law. Europe is defined as the 50 countries (excluding the Holy See)
under the portfolio of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
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European Parliamentary and Presidential Elections
Table 1. European Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

Parliamentary Elections
Presidential Elections
Last Election/
Last Election/
Country
Runoff
Next Election
Runoff
Next Election
Albania
Apr. 25, 2021
Apr. 2026
Indirect
Indirect
Andorra
Apr. 2, 2023
Apr. 2027
N/A
N/A
Armenia
June 20, 2021
June 2026a
Indirect
Indirect
Austria
Sept. 29, 2019
Sept. 2024
Oct. 9, 2022
Oct. 2028
Azerbaijanb
Feb. 9, 2020
Feb. 2025
Apr. 11, 2018
Feb. 7, 2024c
Belarusb
Nov. 17, 2019
Feb. 25, 2024
Aug. 9, 2020
Aug. 2025
Belgium
May 26, 2019
June 9, 2024
N/A
N/A
Bosnia and
Oct. 2, 2022
Oct. 2026
Oct. 2, 2022
Oct. 2026
Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Apr. 2, 2023d
April 2027
Nov. 14, 2021/
Nov. 2026
Nov. 21,2021
Croatia
July 5, 2020
July 2024
Dec. 22, 2019/
Dec. 2024
Jan. 5, 2020
Cyprus
May 30, 2021
May 2026
Feb. 5, 2023/
Feb. 2028
Feb. 12, 2023
Czech
Chamber of
Chamber of
Jan. 13-14, 2023/
Jan. 2028
Republic
Deputies:
Deputies:
Jan. 27-28, 2023
Oct. 8-9, 2021
Oct. 2025
Senate:
Senate: Sept. 2024
Sept. 23, 2022 -
Oct. 1, 2022
Denmark
Nov. 1, 2022
Oct. 2026
N/A
N/A
Estonia
Mar. 5, 2023
Mar. 2027
Indirect
Indirect
Finland
Apr. 2, 2023
Apr. 2027
Jan. 28, 2018
Jan. 28, 2024
France
June 12, 2022/
June 2027
Apr. 10, 2022/
Apr. 2027
June 19, 2022
Apr. 24, 2022
Georgia
Oct. 31, 2020/
Oct. 26, 2024
Oct. 28, 2018e
Indirect
Nov. 21, 2020
Germany
Sept. 26, 2021
Sept. 2025
Indirect
Indirect
Greece
June 25, 2023f
June 2027
Indirect
Indirect
Hungary
Apr. 3, 2022
Apr. 2026
Indirect
Indirect
Iceland
Sept. 25, 2021
Sept. 2025
June 27, 2020
June 1, 2024
Ireland
Feb. 8, 2020
Feb. 2025
Oct. 26, 2018
Oct. 2025
Italy
Chamber of
Chamber of
Indirect
Indirect
Deputies & Senate:
Deputies & Senate:
Sept. 25, 2022
Sept. 2027
Kosovo
Feb. 14, 2021
Feb. 2025
Indirect
Indirect
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Parliamentary Elections
Presidential Elections
Last Election/
Last Election/
Country
Runoff
Next Election
Runoff
Next Election
Latvia
Oct. 1, 2022
Oct. 2026
Indirect
Indirect
Liechtenstein
Feb. 7, 2021
Feb. 2025
N/A
N/A
Lithuania
Oct. 11, 2020/
Oct. 13, 2024
May 12, 2019/
May 12, 2024
Oct. 25, 2020
May 26, 2019
Luxembourg
Oct. 8, 2023
Oct. 2028
N/A
N/A
Malta
Mar. 26, 2022
Mar. 2027
Indirect
Indirect
Moldova
July 11, 2021
July 2025
Nov. 1, 2020/
Nov. 2024
Nov. 15, 2020
Monaco
Feb. 5, 2023
Feb. 2028
N/A
N/A
Montenegro
June 11, 2023g
June 2027
March 19, 2023/
Mar. 2028
Apr. 2, 2023
Netherlands
Nov. 22, 2023h
Nov. 2027
N/A
N/A
North
July 15, 2020
May 2024
Apr. 21, 2019/
Apr. 2024
Macedonia
May, 5 2019
Norway
Sept. 13, 2021
Sept. 2025
N/A
N/A
Poland
Sejm & Senate:
Sejm & Senate:
June 28, 2020/
June 2025
Oct. 15, 2023
Oct. 2027
July 12, 2020
Portugal
Jan. 30, 2022
Mar. 10, 2024i
Jan. 24, 2021
Jan. 2026
Romania
Chamber of
Chamber of
Nov. 10, 2019/
Nov. 2024
Deputies & Senate:
Deputies & Senate:
Nov. 24, 2019
Dec. 6, 2020
Dec. 2024
Russian
Sept. 19, 2021
Sept. 2026
Mar. 18, 2018
Mar. 15-17, 2024
Federationb
San Marino
Dec. 8, 2019
Dec. 2024
Indirect
Indirect
Serbia
Dec. 17, 2023j
Dec. 2027
Apr. 3, 2022
Apr. 2027
Slovakia
Sept. 30, 2023k
Sept. 2027
Mar. 16, 2019/
Mar. 2024
Mar. 30, 2019
Slovenia
Apr. 24, 2022
Apr. 2026
Oct. 23, 2022/
Oct. 2027
Nov. 13, 2022
Spain
Congress of
Congress of
N/A
N/A
Deputies & Senate:
Deputies & Senate:
July 23, 2023l
July 2027
Sweden
Sept. 11, 2022
Sept. 13, 2026
N/A
N/A
Switzerland
National Council &
National Council &
Indirect
Indirect
Council of States:
Council of States:
Oct. 22, 2023m
Oct. 2027
Turkeyn
May 14, 2023
May 2028
May 14, 2023/
May 2028
(Türkiye)o
May 28, 2023
Ukraine
July 21, 2019
Deferredp
Mar. 31, 2019/
Deferredp
Apr. 21, 2019
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Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

Parliamentary Elections
Presidential Elections
Last Election/
Last Election/
Country
Runoff
Next Election
Runoff
Next Election
United
Dec. 12, 2019
Jan. 2025
N/A
N/A
Kingdom
Source: Created by CRS, using data from the U.S. Department of State, European Council, Central Intelligence
Agency’s (CIA’s) World Factbook, International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Election Guide,
Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), and other news sources.
Notes: Table is current as of January 12, 2024. Europe is defined as the 50 countries (excluding the Holy See)
under the portfolio of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. N/A means
nonapplicable. The “last election/runoff” column may include more than one date, as parliamentary and/or
presidential elections may often occur in two-rounds with the top two candidates from an initial election
advancing to a runoff election if no candidate receives a majority. Unless a country sets a specific election day,
dates in the “next election” column are calculated based on the dates of the most recent election and length of
the term. Elections that are expected to occur by a specific month/year are listed in the table according to that
month/year.
a. Armenia originally had parliamentary elections scheduled for December 2023, but held a snap election on
June 20, 2021. The prime minister announced the snap election to address the political opposition that
arose fol owing a cease-fire agreement that he signed with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. See CRS
Report R46651, Azerbaijan and Armenia: The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict, by Cory Welt and Andrew S. Bowen.
b. Although dates are included for elections that the governments of Azerbaijan, Belarus, and the Russian
Federation have announced, these three governments do not hold elections that international observers
consider to be free or fair. Azerbaijan, Belarus and Russia are considered “authoritarian” governments
according to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2023. See Freedom in the World 2023 country scores at
https://freedomhouse.org/countries/freedom-world/scores. For more information on Belarus and Russia,
see CRS In Focus IF10814, Belarus: An Overview, by Cory Welt and Shelby B. Senger and CRS Report
R46518, Russia: Domestic Politics and Economy, by Cory Welt and Rebecca M. Nelson.
c. Azerbaijan originally had a presidential election scheduled for 2025. In December 2023, President Ilham
Aliyev called for a snap presidential election for February 7, 2024.
d. As Bulgarian parties failed to form a government after the October 2022 parliamentary election, Bulgarian
President Rumen Radev set April 2, 2023, as the date for the country’s fifth parliamentary election since
April 2021.
e. Constitutional amendments in 2017 changed the presidential election to an indirect election. The 2018
presidential election in Georgia was the last in which the president was directly elected. Beginning in 2024,
Members of Parliament and local government representatives are to elect Georgia’s president. See CRS
Report R45307, Georgia: Background and U.S. Policy, by Cory Welt.
f.
In April 2023, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President Katerina Sakellaropoulou
announced the dissolution of parliament and called a snap election for May 21, 2023. With no party able to
form a coalition government, a second snap election was held on June 25, 2023.
g. Three days before the presidential election, Montenegro's then-President Milo Djukanovic issued a decree
dissolving parliament. A snap parliamentary election was held on June 11, 2023.
h. Parliamentary elections in the Netherlands were to occur in 2025. However, in July 2023, the four-party
coalition government col apsed and the caretaker government announced a snap parliamentary election for
November 2023.
i.
Parliamentary elections in Portugal were to occur in 2026. However, on November 9, 2023, Portugal
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa announced a snap parliamentary election for March 10, 2024, fol owing
the resignation of its prime minister amid a corruption investigation.
j.
Parliamentary elections in Serbia were to occur in 2026. However, on November 1, 2023, President
Aleksandar Vucic dissolved parliament and announced that early parliamentary elections and partial local
elections would be held on December 17, 2023.
k. In December 2022, Slovakia’s coalition government lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. In late January
2023, Slovakia’s parliament amended the country’s constitution to enable early elections and approved
September 30, 2023, as the date for the snap election.
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Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

l.
Parliamentary elections in Spain were to occur in December 2023. However, fol owing local elections in late
May 2023, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced he would dissolve parliament. He called for a
snap election for July 23, 2023.
m. Each canton in Switzerland organizes its elections for the Council of States. The first round of the election
to the Swiss Council of States is held at the same time as elections to the National Council in all cantons,
with one exception. The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden holds its elections on the last Sunday in April.
Depending on the results of the election, a second round or runoff election may be required in some
cantons.
n. On April 16, 2017, a constitutional referendum was held on amending the Turkish Constitution, including
abolishing the office of the prime minister and replacing the country’s existing parliamentary system with a
presidential system. The referendum passed. On June 24, 2018, Turkey held a snap election, reelecting
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “With the elimination of the prime minister’s post, President Erdoğan now
controls all executive functions … and the capacity of the parliament to provide a check on his rule is, in
practice, seriously limited,” according to Freedom House’s Freedom in the World 2021. See Sarah Repucci
and Amy Slipowitz, Freedom in the World 2021: Democracy Under Siege, Freedom House, 2021, at
https://freedom house.org/sites/default/ files/2021-02/FIW2021_World_02252021_FINAL-web-upload.pdf.
For more information, see CRS Report R41368, Turkey (Türkiye): Background and U.S. Relations, by Jim
Zanotti and Clayton Thomas.
o. “In late 2021, President Erdogan directed the use of “Türkiye” (the country’s name in Turkish) in place of
“Turkey” or other equivalents (e.g., the German “Türkei,” the French “Turquie”) in Turkish government
documents and communications. In June 2022, the United Nations accepted the Turkish request to change
the country’s name at the body to “Türkiye.” In January 2023, the State Department spokesperson said that
the department would use the revised spelling “in most formal diplomatic and bilateral contexts” where
appropriate. The U.S. Board on Geographic Names retained both “Turkey” and “Republic of Turkey” as
conventional names, and the spokesperson said that the State Department could use those names if it is in
furtherance of broader public understanding. State Department Press Briefing, January 5, 2023.” See CRS
Report R41368, Turkey (Türkiye): Background and U.S. Relations, by Jim Zanotti and Clayton Thomas.
p. Ukraine was originally scheduled to hold a presidential election by March 2024 (parliamentary elections
were to occur by October 2023). However, Ukrainian law does not allow elections to occur under martial
law, which has been in effect since the February 24, 2022, Russian invasion.

Author Information

Sofia Plagakis

Research Librarian

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Europe: Fact Sheet on Parliamentary and Presidential Elections

Disclaimer
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