https://arab.news/2qyfk
The 2026 global election landscape will be dominated by the US midterms, which could reconfigure Donald Trump’s remaining presidency. However, beyond that major ballot in November, a series of key polls across the world will also help reshape international relations and the economic outlook.
Little wonder that markets are already looking ahead to these eye-catching events.
Across the next 12 months, these ballots will be held across time zones and geographies. This includes Bangladesh in February, Hungary in April, Colombia in May, Ethiopia in June, Russia in September, plus Brazil in October. One of the key questions will be whether several longstanding incumbents, including Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, can win new mandates.
Lula, now 80, is seeking a fourth term. It has been widely tipped that Tarcisio de Freitas, the conservative Sao Paulo governor, will challenge him. However, this has been made more uncertain by former populist leader Jair Bolsonaro, sometimes called the “Trump of the tropics,” who recently endorsed one of his sons, Flavio Bolsonaro, potentially fragmenting the political right against Lula. After this news, Brazilian markets fell significantly, with stocks having their worst day since 2021.
