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11 October 2021 Austria
Alexander Schallenberg, a former diplomat and hitherto the Federal Minister for European and International Affairs, was sworn in as Chancellor, following the resignation of Sebastian Kurz on 9 October. Kurz, along with several other members of the Österreichische Volkspartei (ÖVP), had been placed under investigation for alleged corruption (he denied any wrongdoing). Kurz was to remain as leader of the ÖVP party and of its faction in Parliament.
6 October 2021 Peru
President Pedro Castillo swore into office a new Council of Ministers, after the members of the previous Council had submitted their resignations at the President’s behest. The new cabinet was headed by Mirtha Vásquez, a former congressional speaker and member of the Frente Amplio party. Vásquez succeeded the far-left Guido Bellido of the Perú Libre party, who had been asked to step down by Castillo after just two months in the post. The move prompted speculation that the President was moving away from the Perú Libre, the party he had successfully represented in the presidential ballot earlier that year, particularly as fellow Marxist Iber Maraví was also sacked as labour minister. In contrast, other ministers were reappointed to their posts, including moderate Minister of Economy and Finance Pedro Francke.
26 September 2021 Germany
At federal elections to the Bundestag, according to preliminary results, the Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands (SPD—Social Democratic Party of Germany) won 206 seats (an increase of 53 seats), while the Christlich-Demokratische Union Deutschlands/Christlich-Soziale Union (CDU/CSU—Christian Democratic and Christian Social Union, the party of longstanding Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had not put herself forward as a candidate for the chancellorship) lost 50 seats to secure 196 seats. Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Alliance 90/The Greens) was third placed with 118 seats (an increase of 51 seats) and the Freie Demokratische Partei (Free Democratic Party) also increased its representation, by 12 seats, to 92. The far-right Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) won 83 seats (a loss of 11) and left-wing Die Linke (Left Party) garnered 39 seats (a loss of 30). Regional party Südschleswigscher Wählerverband (South Schleswig Voters' Committee) won one seat. The SPD and CDU/CSU rival candidates for the chancellorship, Olaf Scholz and Armin Laschet, respectively, each looking to form a viable coalition, began preliminary talks with other parties, with negotiations expected to last some time.
20 September 2021 Canada
A pre-term election to the House of Commons, called by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had led a minority Liberal Party Government and who had sought to obtain a legislative majority for his party, effectively replicated the results of the most recent election, held in 2019. Although the Liberal Party remained the largest party in the new chamber (with 158 of the 338 seats, compared with the 157 it had won in 2019), it again obtained fewer votes (a provisional 32.2%, compared with 33.1% in 2019) than the Conservative Party of Canada (with a provisional 34.0%, compared with 34.4% in 2019), which won 119 seats, two fewer than in 2019. The Bloc Québécois was placed third, with a provisional 7.7% and 34 seats, ahead of the left-wing New Democratic Party, with a provisional 17.7% and 25 seats. The Green Party of Canada won two seats. The right-wing People’s Party of Canada won a provisional 5.1% of the vote, but was awarded no legislative mandates.
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19 September 2021 Russian Federation
Elections were held to the State Duma, the lower chamber of the federal legislature. According to preliminary results issued by the Central Electoral Commission, the de facto ruling party, Yedinaya Rossiya (United Russia), won 324 of the 450 seats (compared with the 343 it had won at the most recent general election in 2016). The Kommunisticheskaya Partiya Rossiiskoi Federatsii (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) was placed second, with 57 seats (compared with the 42 it had won in 2016), ahead of Spravedlivaya Rossiya—Patrioty—Za Pradvu (A Just Russia—Patriots—For Truth), with 27 seats, and the nationalist Liberalno-demokraticheskaya Partiya Rossii (Liberal Democratic Party of Russia), with 21. The Partiya Novyye Lyudi (New People Party), previously unrepresented at the federal level and which sought to represent the interests of small businesses, obtained 13 seats. Three smaller parties also obtained representation, and five independent deputies were elected. Early voting had been permitted from 17 September, and online voting was permitted, for the first time in a federal legislative election, in six of the 85 federal territories.
17 September 2021 Argentina
Following the disastrous performance of the ruling Frente de Todos alliance in the primary elections for the November mid-term elections, President Alberto Fernández carried out a cabinet reshuffle. The reallocation of portfolios was announced after Vice-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner openly criticized the President for his fiscal policies and called for greater representation in the Cabinet of her faction of the ruling party. Among the changes was the dismissal of Felipe Solá as Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was replaced by Santiago Cafiero, hitherto Cabinet Chief.
16 September 2021 Bahamas
The opposition Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) swept to victory in an early general election, winning 32 seats, leaving the ruling Free National Movement (FNM) with just seven seats. FNM Prime Minister Hubert Minnis had called the election eight months before it was constitutionally due. However, his gamble backfired as voters rejected the FNM’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which had prompted a severe economic contraction in the tourism-dependent country that was still recovering from Hurricane Dorian in 2019. PLP leader Philip Davis was sworn into office as Prime Minister the following day and a new Government was scheduled to be inaugurated.
13 September 2021 Norway
At legislative elections Arbeiderpartiet (AP—Labour Party), led by Jonas Gahr Støre, won 48 seats, while Høyre (Conservative), the party of Erna Solberg (who had been premier since 2013), lost nine seats to secure 36. Støre immediately commenced negotiations on forming a coalition with Senterpartiet (Sp—Centre Party, 28 seats) and Sosialistisk Venstreparti (SV—Socialist Left Party, 13 seats). The populist Fremskrittspartiet (Progress Party) lost six seats to win 21, while Høyre’s erstwhile coalition partners, Venstre and Kristelig Folkeparti, garnered eight and three seats, respectively. The far-left Rødt increased its representation from one seat to eight, and environmentalist Miljøpartiet De Grønne also increased its tally, to three seats. Regional party Pasientfokus, focused on health care, took the remaining seat in the 169-seat Storting. Støre took office at the head of a minority Government comprising AP and Sp (SV having left the coalition negotiations) on 14 October.
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