The 2026 elections in the European Union include national and regional elections in the EU member states. Five of the twenty-seven member states (Slovenia, Hungary, Sweden, Latvia, and Denmark) are set to elect new parliaments in 2026. Three (Portugal, Estonia, and Bulgaria) will elect presidents.
Hungary's parliamentary election has received international focus as prime minister Viktor Orbán and his national conservative Fidesz party are facing a strong challenge from Péter Magyar and the more moderate Tisza Party. Orbán has received criticism from the European Parliament as multiple research organizations have described the country as being in a state of democratic backsliding.
Some parts in France will also hold Senate election.
Cyprus is notably the only EU member state with a strong presidential system where the president serves as both head of government and head of state. As a result the Cypriot legislature does not elect a prime minister, and instead, its members select the President of the Cypriot House of Representatives to head the body.
Portugal and Bulgaria directly elect their presidents, while the president of Estonia is elected indirectly by the Riigikogu.. Portuguese president Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Bulgarian president Rumen Radev have each been elected twice and are constitutionally ineligible to serve third terms. Incumbent Estonian president Alar Karis is eligible for reelection, but has indicated that he is unlikely to do so and would like to see the office's electoral process reformed.