Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko began his seventh term in power on March 25 after declaring himself the winner of the January elections broadly seen as neither fair nor free.
Ukraine has not held elections during Russia's full-scale war because they are prohibited under martial law, which was declared on Feb. 24, 2022.
Romania's electoral bureau has disqualified far-right candidate Calin Georgescu from running in the presidential election re-run, multiple Romanian channels announced on March 9.
Ex-President Petro Poroshenko's team works "publicly and transparently" with U.S. partners to ensure bipartisan support for Kyiv, Poroshenko said on March 6.
Trump's allies reportedly held talks with Yuliia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and head of the opposition Batkivshchyna (Fatherland) party, and high-ranking members of the European Solidarity party of ex-President Petro Poroshenko.
Romanian prosecutors requested the temporary arrest of 21 individuals linked to far-right leader Calin Georgescu on Feb. 28, days after his detention, Reuters reported.
Bulgaria’s Constitutional Court ordered a full recount of the country's October 2024 parliamentary election results on Feb. 26 following an audit that discovered various voting discrepancies.
The Romanian Prosecutor General's office has charged pro-Russian Calin Georgescu with "incitement to actions against the constitutional order" and other alleged crimes related to the Nov. 24 first-round elections.
After the top diplomats of Moscow and Washington met in Riyadh to discuss “peace” in Ukraine — without Ukraine at the table — the conversation quickly shifted to elections, as if they were the only topic discussed and the sole reason the war continues. And once again, U.S. President Donald Trump
The decision was supported by 268 members of parliament, while 12 others abstained.
Germany’s center-right CDU/CSU is set to return to power, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) emerging as the second-largest party, according to preliminary results of the Feb. 23 parliamentary elections.
Editor’s Note: This op-ed was first published by the Ukrainian NGO Civil Network OPORA as an open statement, which garnered nearly 300 signatures at the time it was published by the Kyiv Independent. Democracy during wartime must be protected even more than in peacetime, as the consequences of mistakes
"The legitimacy of the Ukrainian government is the exclusive prerogative of the Ukrainian people," the statement read.
"A dictator without elections, Zelensky better move fast, or he won’t have a country left," U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.
President Volodymyr Zelensky had imposed sanctions against the official leader of the opposition, ex-President Petro Poroshenko. The following decree was published on Feb. 13. Despite the official reasoning given by the country's Security Service being high treason committed a decade ago, the unilateral sanctions imposed on the former president have
Far-right opposition parties submitted an initiative to the Romanian parliament to impeach the president, as Klaus Iohannis remained in office longer than the prescribed term after the results of the country's first round of presidential election had been annulled.
"You're gonna reach a point where they're gonna have to have elections ... That doesn't mean Zelensky should leave," Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
Members of Georgia's ruling Georgian Dream party voted to revoke the mandates of 49 opposition parliamentarians on Feb. 5 after they refused to take their seats, citing concerns over the legitimacy of the results of the October parliamentary election.
The U.S. hasn't yet discussed with Ukraine the necessity of holding elections by the end of 2025, according to Oksana Markarova.
Keith Kellogg, Trump's special envoy for Ukraine and Russia, told Reuters that presidential and parliamentary elections, suspended since the all-out war began, "need to be done."
Georgia withdrew its delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Jan. 29 after the Assembly passed a resolution calling for Tbilisi to hold new parliamentary elections.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko turned the country's presidential election into "a one-man political show," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Jan. 27.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself the victor in the country's latest so-called presidential elections on Jan. 26, in which no political opposition was allowed to take part. The country's authorities claim Lukashenko won 86.82% of the vote, securing a seventh consecutive term in power. Despite international condemnation and
"The elections in Belarus were transparent and absolutely legitimate. Moscow does not take into account the expected criticism of the elections in Belarus in the West," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko declared himself president for his seventh consecutive term in an election internationally deemed as neither free nor fair.
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has reportedly secured 86.82% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the country’s Central Election Commission.
Editor's note: This article is an on-site version of KI Insights' The Week Ahead newsletter covering events from Jan. 27-Feb. 2. Sign up here to start your week with an agenda of Ukraine-related events, delivered directly to your inbox every Sunday. The 9-year terms of three Constitutional Court judges will
Join our exclusive KI Insights Monthly Briefing to gain critical perspectives on the highly anticipated Ukrainian elections (whenever they occur). We will analyze key potential players, what to expect from their platforms, and reflect on broader implications for the country's future. Whether you are following Ukrainian politics closely or seeking
Alexander Lukashenko announced last year that he intended to run again in the presidential election.
Nearly 1,300 prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
Milanovic's re-election to the largely symbolic position serves as a setback for Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s government, whose government was recently embroiled in a corruption scandal implicating a former health minister.
"This decision underscores the continued lack of commitment by the Belarusian authorities to invite other OSCE states to observe and provide an independent view on whether the elections are held in line with OSCE commitments and international democratic standards."
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