With the month of July soon ending, the international community still waits to see a number of critical elections be held in Europe- including presidential elections in Slovenia, parliamentary elections in Norway, municipal elections in Denmark, and an independence referendums in Catalunya, Lombardy, and Veneto.
As anticipated, these upcoming elections pose potential changes to the framework of European politics and regional cooperation- yet they embody the tradition of the democratic process and the freedoms given to civilians to participate.
Local elections
Local elections will be held in both Portugal and Denmark on October 21 and November 21.
The Portuguese elections could be divided into 3 separate elections for the municipal chambers, the municipal assembly, and the parish assembly. These processes are then carried out in each of the 308 municipalities. All 308 of these municipalities are granted a fixed number of councilors who have the responsibility of electing the individual whom the voter population has picked.
In Demark, on the other hand, there are only 98 municipalities and 5 regional councils which participate. A total of 205 seats will be up for election in November, which will decide the direction of local proceedings for the Kingdom of Denmark in the 2018-2021 term.
Legislative and Parliamentary elections
Aside from local elections, other nations expect legislative and parliamentarian races between September and October. Norway, Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic all have elections scheduled for this upcoming fall.
The Norwegian legislative body, otherwise known as the Storting, continues its tradition of holding elections ever 4 years, in which 169 seat will be contested. These elections will be particularly busy, as 8 front-running political parties all simultaneously run for office on November 11.
Like the Storting, Germany’s Bundestag will also be electing its new members. Formally the 19th Bundestag, its election will be taking place on a Sunday, September 24th, between 46 and 48 months after the previous assembly’s last presiding. Given that the previous parliamentary body sat for the first time on October 2013, the 19th Bundestag election will be hosted between August 27 and October 22. Officially, it’s been scheduled for September 24th.
In Austria, the elections on October 15 will identify the nation’s new chancellor- who will be the leader of the strongest party in a legislative coalition. The other 183 members of the National Council will be chosen by a method of “closed list proportional representation”, in which nine multi-member constituencies and 39 sub-constituencies- based in the Austrian states- exercise their votes.
The Czech Republic also plans to identify the leader of the resulting government comprised of 200 members of the Chamber of Deputies, and subsequently name that leader the new Prime Minister. These elections on October 21 follow four years after the previous, and allow citizens of at least 21 years of age to run for office.
Slovenia soon expects an election called by the President of the National Assembly- but still has yet to confirm a date. Under Slovenian customs, candidates for the presidency must win the support of either 10 members of the National Assembly, or 5,000 votes, or one or more parties plus either 3 members of the National Assembly or 3,000 votes. Current president, Borut Pahor, has expressed his intent to run for the position once more.
Other elections
In news outside of traditional elections, a plebiscite is also expected before the end of the year in Spain. One month ago, the Government of Catalonia announced the implementation of a referendum for independence to be held on October 1. While the decree has not been formally approved, it’s expected to be officially sanctioned in mid-August- despite opposition from the Spanish Government. The Spanish Constitution maintains that it does not allow for independence movements of any Spanish regions or any referendums for self-determination. The result of the plebiscite could potentially be one of historical ramifications, as it could be the decision to redraw the maps of Spain and Catalonia.
The Italian regions of Lombardy and Veneto also anticipate a referendum on autonomy by the end of this year. The plebiscites on October 22nd are expected to act as national statements- Lombardy and Veneto both belong to the Northern League, which intends to raise concerns on the use of Northern state taxes on Southern states. The vote in both cases will be non-binding, and instead ask citizens to express their support or contempt for further escalations in secession dialogue.
