From Gen Z revolutions to Trump’s shadow: 40+ countries that will decide the world’s future in 2026
2026 will be a year in which over 40 countries around the world will choose their political future with parliamentary and presidential elections. The most notable among the votes scheduled for 2026 are the general elections in Bangladesh and Nepal, which in 2024 and 2025 were the scenes of the GenZ revolutions that overthrew their respective governments.
Benin – Legislative Elections (January 11)
Uganda – General elections (January 15)
Portugal – Presidential elections (January 18)
Myanmar
The first elections of 2026 will be held on January 11, when Myanmar will hold the second phase of its three-stage national election, which began on December 28. The elections will be the first since the 2021 military coup in Myanmar, when the junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
Despite being a ‘democratic’ and multi-party election, most international observers expect it to be far from fair. The military-aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party, led by retired generals, is widely expected to return to power in Myanmar.
February
Costa Rica – General elections (February 1)
Thailand – General elections (February 8)
Bangladesh – General elections (February 12)
Laos – Parliamentary elections (February 22)
Bangladesh
Among the elections due in February, the most notable are the upcoming vote in Bangladesh, which is currently being administered by an interim government since August 2024. Bangladesh’s general elections will be held on February 12, the first vote in the country since the ouster of the then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, by a student-led uprising.
Story continues below this ad
The general elections will be held along with the referendum on the July Charter, which envisions major political and administrative reforms in Bangladesh in line with the demands of the protesters. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which has been away from power in the country since 2008, is widely expected to win the elections for which Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from contesting.
March
Nepal – General elections (March 5)
Vietnam – Parliamentary elections (March 15)
Slovenia – Parliamentary elections (Expected on March 22)
Republic of the Congo – Presidential elections (March 22)
Nepal
Nepal, which overthrew its government in September 2025 in the Gen Z revolution, will hold its first elections on March 5. The elections will be held under the supervision of the caretaker administration led by Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first woman Prime Minister and a former Chief Justice.
Elections will be held for the Lower House of the Nepal Parliament (House of Representatives), consisting of 275 members. Balendra Shah, the popular Mayor of Kathmandu who had become the face of the Gen Z protests in Nepal, is one of the most high profile candidates contesting the elections.
April
Benin – Presidential elections (April 12)
Hungary – Parliamentary elections ( April 12)
Story continues below this ad
Peru – General elections (April 12)
Libya – Presidential and parliamentary elections (no date set)
Djibouti – Presidential elections (no date set)
Cape Verde – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
May
Cyprus – Parliamentary elections (May 24)
Colombia – Presidential elections (May 31)
Cameroon – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
Lebanon – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
Colombia
The presidential elections in Colombia in May have become more significant following the US capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro last week. Like Maduro, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has also been at odds with Donald Trump over alleged drug trafficking.
In September, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Petro, and many analysts have said that the US could carry out another Maduro-like operation in Colombia. Petro cannot seek re-election as the constitution prohibits presidents from serving a second term.
Story continues below this ad
June
Ethiopia – General elections (June 1)
Armenia – Parliamentary elections (June 7)
Algeria – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
July
Fiji – General elections (no date set)
August
Zambia – General elections (August 13)
Haiti – General elections (August 30)
September
Sweden – General elections (September 13)
Sao Tome and Principe – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
Morocco – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
Russia – Parliamentary elections (no date set)
October
Latvia – Parliamentary elections (October 3)
Brazil – General elections (October 4)
Israel – Parliamentary elections (October 27)
Denmark – General elections (no date set)
Bosnia and Herzegovina – General elections (no date set)
The Bahamas – General elections (no date set)
The Parliamentary elections in Israel should be held by October 27, but are widely expected to be held earlier.
Story continues below this ad
The elections, the first since the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack in the country, will be a major challenge for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been holding on to power with a slender margin and aligning himself with far-right political parties.
November
United States – Midterm elections (November 3)
Bulgaria – Presidential and parliamentary elections (no date set)
2026 will be a crucial year as the US heads to the midterms on November 3, which is also expected to be a prelude to the presidential elections in 2028. All 435 House seats and 35 out of 100 Senate seats are up for grabs in the midterm elections in November.
The Democratic Party, which in December 2025 made significant electoral gains in the special elections and Mayoral polls, is hoping to carry the momentum into the midterms. A good show by the Democrats in November 2026, by taking control of the House and Senate, would leave Trump as a lame duck president for the reminder of his term.
December
The Gambia – Presidential elections (December 5)
New Zealand – General elections (no date set)
South Sudan – General elections (no date set)
