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

Visit BAL’s Global Election Hub for more information on 2025 elections around the world.

Croatia

DATE OF ELECTION January 12, 2025

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, 2025

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, 2025

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

OUTCOME Germany is getting a new chancellor, as Friedrich Merz is on course to become Germany’s 10th chancellor. The Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union secured 208 seats (28.52%), the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Alice Weidel secured 152 seats (20.8%) and incumbent Chancellor Scholz’s Social Democratic Party secured 120 seats (16.41%).Mr. Scholz will continue as a caretaker chancellor until Mr. Merz is sworn in. It should be noted that AfD doubled its vote share from four years ago in the strongest showing for a far-right party since World War II.

Sunday’s election determined who would be elected to parliament. Now, Friedrich Merz must put together a coalition government. Only when a coalition deal has been reached will the 630 lawmakers in the new Bundestag vote to elect the next chancellor, who must secure at least 316 votes. There are no formal deadlines for coalition-building or voting on the new chancellor. Merz has said he wants to begin talks immediately and hopes to form a governing coalition by Easter.

As per their campaign, the new government will attempt to cut bureaucracy and implement tax reforms, while investing in infrastructure and digitalization. Migration policy will be a central focus, as well as managing trade conflicts and securing affordable energy for the country.

For more information, read our deeper analysis of Germany’s federal election, including background on how Germany’s government is structured, why this election was consequential and what happens next.

RECENT IMMIGRATION NEWS The German government passed a new act modernizing German citizenship law last June 2024, reducing the minimum period of residence required for naturalization to five years and loosening restrictions on dual citizenship.

Meanwhile, the government also introduced a new temporary residence permit for skilled workers. It is an important part of the skilled immigration act that allows foreign nationals to obtain employment without having an employment contract before entering Germany.

Finally, the government recently launched an online platform for national visa applications, making its immigration process more modern.

All of these measures support the government’s attempts to digitize the visa process and strengthen Germany as a business location by attracting more highly skilled workers and address skilled labor shortages. Germany needs at least 400,000 skilled workers each year, impacting industries like healthcare and technology. Reforms like these, as well as the Skilled Immigration Act, are designed to make it easier for foreign nationals to bring skills and job experience to work in Germany. The new Mertz coalition government will now be tasked with navigating the need to attract international workers while supporting German citizens against the backdrop of a dire economic situation.

Romania

DATE OF ELECTION May 4, 2025. A second round will take place on May 18, 2025 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, 2025. 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, 2025

TYPE OF ELECTION Parliamentary election.