See the elections taking place in Europe this year. This post will be updated with outcomes as the elections are completed.

Croatia

DATE OF ELECTION January 12.

TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential election. Croatia’s constitution is structured with the President as a ceremonial role as to not be a party-political figure, but act as a head of state for all citizens.

OUTCOME Croatia’s incumbent President Zoran Milanović was re-elected following a run-off against Dragan Primorac from the ruling conservative party. Mr. Milanovic had won the first round of the presidential elections on December 29, 2024, but missed the required half-way mark by 5,000 votes. Milanovic won almost three-quarters of the votes beating opponent Dragan Primorac of the governing center-right Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party. The HDZ has been the dominant party since Croatia gained independence more than 30 years ago.

RECENT IMMIGRATION NEWS As BAL reported, Croatia joined the Schengen Area, Europe’s free-travel zone, on Jan. 1, 2023. For further details about travel into and within Schengen countries, please see the State Department’s Schengen Fact Sheet.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Croatia, a visa is not required for U.S. passport holders for temporary tourist and business trips up to 90 days (during a six-month period, starting from the day of the first entry). All foreign citizens must register with local police within 48 hours of arrival.

The government also has a Digital nomad visa which serves as a temporary stay visa granted for up to a year (possibly less) but cannot be extended. A new application for regulating the stay of digital nomads can be submitted six months after the expiry of the previously granted temporary stay of digital nomads.

Belarus

DATE OF ELECTION January 26.

TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential election.

OUTCOME Europe’s longest-serving leader, Alexander Lukashenko, was declared the winner of the presidential election, securing a seventh straight term. According to the country’s electoral body, exit polls showed Lukashenko with 87.6% of vote in the Belarus presidential race. The Belarusian leader first won office in 1994 and returns to power, extending his three decades in power.

The European Parliament denounced the presidential election as a sham and the result has been disputed by various governments and human rights groups citing independent media repression and opposition member suppression concerns. In a joint statement from the Informal Group of Friends of Democratic Belarus within Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) the elections fell short of shared standards and the outcome was pre-determined and not free nor fair.

RECENT IMMIGRATION NEWS On Jan. 11, 2025, a visa-free agreement was made between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on mutual recognition of visas and other issues related to the entry of foreign citizens.

Belarus will soon introduce a 30-day, single-entry e-visa for tourism, business or private purposes to nationals of 67 countries. Effective March 20, 2025, applicants will be able to apply for this visa via the national electronic services portal.

Germany

DATE OF ELECTION February 23.

TYPE OF ELECTION Federal election. Germany is electing the 630 members of the Bundestag, the federal legislative body.

Romania

DATE OF ELECTION May 4. A second round will take place on May 18 if no first-round candidate wins more than 50% of the vote.

TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential election.

STATUS Constitutional Court annulled the first round of voting due to concerns over foreign interference. Centrist, pro-EU candidate Elena Lasconi and far-right, pro-Russian candidate Călin Georgescu have advanced to the second round in this election.

Poland

DATE OF ELECTION May 18. A second round will take place on June 1 if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round.

TYPE OF ELECTION Presidential election.

This election decides the successor to the current president, Andrzej Duda, who hails from the Law and Justice party (PiS).

The chief candidates in the running are Rafał Trzaskowski, the Mayor of Warsaw, who belongs to the Civic Platform party (PO), and Karol Nawrocki, a historian, who is the candidate for PiS.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk (Civic Platform) has led the country since December 2023.

Although the prime minister oversees regular governance, the president still plays a crucial role, having the power to veto government policies.

Czech Republic

DATE OF ELECTION September 26-27.

TYPE OF ELECTION Parliamentary election.