The House of Commons Library is publishing a series of briefings on international elections. Research will be published soon after elections take place and will provide comprehensive insight and coverage.

Briefings on international elections cover:

  • Background to the election
  • The context in which the election takes place: what are the main political and economic forces at play?
  • Overviews of the major political parties
  • Profiles of the main leadership contenders, including their proposed policies and background
  • Election results and post-election analysis
  • Possible implications for the future

2022: Briefings on elections around the world

  • Brazil: 2022 presidential election

    Brazil held a presidential election on 2 October 2022, with a run-off poll taking place on 30 October. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro.

  • Australia: 2022 general election

    Australia held a general election on 21 May 2022. After almost a decade in power, the Liberal-National coalition were defeated, with Labor's Anthony Albanese forming the next government.

  • Italy: 2022 general election and new government

    A new centre right government, led by Giorgia Meloni, took office in Italy in October 2022. Meloni's leads a party with roots in Italy's post-war neo-fascist party. This briefing provides background on the election and new government

  • Hungary: 2022 general election

    Hungary held a general election on 3 April 2022. Incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán secured a majority of seats in the new parliament and will serve a fourth consecutive term in office (his fifth in total).

  • Portugal: 2022 general election

    Portugal held a parliamentary election on 30 January 2022. Incumbent Prime Minister Antonio Costa secured a majority of seats in the new parliament and will serve a third term in office.

2021: Briefings on elections around the world

Briefings on international elections in 2020

  • Myanmar: 2020 parliamentary election

    Myanmar held a general election on 8 November 2020. The National League for Democracy secured a landslide win but the military later staged a coup.

  • USA: 2020 presidential election

    The United States held an election on Tuesday 3 November 2020. The election is viewed as effectively a referendum on Trump’s presidency and his handling of the US response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

  • Venezuela: 2020 parliamentary election

    Venezuela held a parliamentary election on Sunday 6 December 2020. Ahead of the election campaign several opposition parties announced they would not participate, declaring the election to be fraudulent and illegitimate.

  • Côte d’Ivoire: 2020 presidential election

    Côte d’Ivoire held a presidential election on Saturday 31 October 2020. Controversially, incumbent President Alassane Dramane Ouattara was permitted to run for a third consecutive term.

  • Bolivia: 2020 presidential election

    Bolivia held elections on Sunday 18 October 2020. These were the first presidential elections since 2002 in which former president Evo Morales did not appear on the ballot.

  • New Zealand: 2020 general election

    New Zealand held a General Election on Saturday 17 October 2020. The election was commonly dubbed the “Covid election”, with the coronavirus pandemic the main issue for voters throughout the campaign.

  • Belarus: 2020 presidential election

    Belarus held a presidential election on Sunday 9 August 2020. There have been allegations of widespread vote-rigging and the opposition has disputed the results.