Elections in East-Central Europe during the COVID-19 Pandemic
PhD student, University of Szeged, Faculty of Law and Political Sciences, Department of Political Science
In March 2020, COVID-19 reached Europe and the region of Central and Eastern Europe was no exception. This region did not become a virus hotspot; however, these nations followed the international tendency and enacted emergency measures. The regular flow of democracy and elections has been disturbed by these extraordinary circumstances. The possible change of election dates and regular electoral processes poses new challenges for democracies, especially in a region where populism is on the rise. Five countries held elections during the first seven months of the pandemic in this region: Serbia, Croatia, Poland, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The paper compares the main aspects of each election, such as the political context, voter turnout, the results of incumbents and the safety measures taken to operate the elections.
