- — Europe:
Disputed election and mass protests
Lukashenka's claimed landslide re-election sparked the largest protests in Belarusian history; the EU declared the vote neither free nor fair and refused to recognise his mandate, while he held on with Russian support.
Era: Chernobyl, Independence and the Lukashenka Era
Sources: Belarus: Declaration by the High Representative on the so-called 'inauguration' of Lukashenko · Council of the European Union, Alexander Lukashenko · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Pleadings before the World Court
Guatemala and Belize filed written pleadings before the International Court of Justice in the case "Guatemala's Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize)", moving toward a final, binding judgment on the century-old dispute.
Era: Independent Belize and the Guatemalan question
Sources: Guatemala's Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize), Case No. 177 · International Court of Justice
- — South America:
- — Africa:
Succession to Ndayishimiye
Nkurunziza declines to run; Évariste Ndayishimiye wins the May 2020 election. Nkurunziza dies on 8 June and Ndayishimiye is sworn in on 18 June 2020.
Era: Modern Burundi
Sources: Évariste Ndayishimiye · Wikipedia, Pierre Nkurunziza · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Abinader and a new political era
Luis Abinader of the Modern Revolutionary Party wins the presidency, continuing the peaceful alternation of power in a consolidated democracy.
Era: The Modern Tourism Republic
Sources: History of the Dominican Republic · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Court-ordered election re-run
After the Constitutional Court annulled the 2019 presidential election for irregularities, Lazarus Chakwera won the court-ordered re-run, a rare judicial reversal of a presidential result on the continent.
Era: The Banda regime and the democratic transition
Sources: 2020 Malawian presidential election · Wikipedia, Lazarus Chakwera · Wikipedia
- — Africa:
Coup ousts President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta
Amid mass protests and a worsening insurgency, military officers arrest President Keïta, who resigns; a transitional government is formed.
Era: Dictatorship, Democracy and Crisis
Sources: 2020 Malian coup d'état · Wikipedia, Mali, a Coup within a Coup · International Crisis Group, Timeline: How Mali went from democracy beacon to instability · Al Jazeera
- — Europe:
The Netherlands drops 'Holland' from its international branding
Following a 2019 decision, the Dutch government and the Netherlands Board of Tourism and Conventions present the country abroad as 'the Netherlands', not 'Holland', which names only two of its twelve provinces; the new mark is an NL tulip.
Era: The World Wars, Decolonisation and the Modern Netherlands
Sources: Rebranding the Netherlands: goodbye Holland · DutchReview
- — Europe:
North Macedonia joins NATO
After the Prespa Agreement lifted Greece's objection, North Macedonia deposited its instrument of accession and became NATO's thirtieth member on 27 March 2020.
Era: The Ohrid Framework, NATO and the Road to Europe
Sources: North Macedonia joins NATO as 30th Ally, 27 March 2020 · North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), A Guide to the United States' History of Recognition: North Macedonia · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — Europe:
Bulgaria blocks EU accession talks
Bulgaria vetoed the opening of EU accession negotiations over disputes about history, language and identity, including claims that Macedonian derives from Bulgarian.
Era: The Ohrid Framework, NATO and the Road to Europe
Sources: How to advance a European solution to Bulgaria's and North Macedonia's dispute · European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), Bulgaria to Maintain Block on North Macedonia's Path to EU · Balkan Insight (BIRN)
- — Asia:
Death of Qaboos and accession of Haitham
Sultan Qaboos died after nearly fifty years on the throne, and his cousin Haitham bin Tariq was sworn in as sultan the following day in a smooth succession.
Era: The Renaissance of Qaboos and Modern Oman
Sources: Haitham bin Tariq, sultan of Oman · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Qaboos bin Said: Biography and Facts · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Unity government formed
A Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity is sworn in, with Riek Machar again first vice-president under President Salva Kiir, though the peace remains fragile.
Era: A Young Nation at War
Sources: The Formation of the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity in South Sudan · ACCORD
- — Europe:
A neutral federal republic in the heart of Europe
Switzerland remains a federal republic of twenty-six cantons and four languages, neutral and outside the EU yet enclosing the foreign enclaves of Büsingen and Campione d'Italia, with Geneva a global hub of diplomacy and humanitarian law.
Era: Neutral Switzerland: World Wars, Sovereignty and the Modern Confederation
Sources: The story of Switzerland's federal borders · Swiss National Museum (blog.nationalmuseum.ch), Neutrality · Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (aboutswitzerland.eda.admin.ch)
- — Europe:
The United Kingdom leaves the European Union
Following the 2016 referendum, the UK formally withdrew from the European Union, ending nearly half a century of membership in the European project.
Era: World wars, decolonisation, and the modern UK
Sources: Brexit · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Asia:
Taliban return to power
Following the 2020 Doha agreement and the withdrawal of foreign forces, the Afghan government collapses and the Taliban retake Kabul on 15 August 2021, re-establishing the Islamic Emirate.
Era: The Taliban, Intervention and Return
Sources: Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan (Doha Agreement, 29 Feb 2020) · U.S. Department of State, NATO and Afghanistan · North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- — North America:
Philip Davis and the PLP return to power
Philip Davis led the Progressive Liberal Party to victory in the 2021 general election, becoming prime minister, in another peaceful transfer of power.
Era: Tourism, finance and the age of hurricanes
Sources: The Hon. Philip Davis, KC — Prime Minister of The Bahamas · Government of The Bahamas
- — Africa:
Death of Idriss Déby; son takes power
Déby died of wounds from fighting on the front line; a military council named his son, General Mahamat Idriss Déby, transitional president, widely seen as an unconstitutional succession.
Era: The Déby era and its legacy
Sources: Mahamat Idriss Déby, son of slain president, emerges as Chad's new strongman · France 24, Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Pro-democracy protests
Pro-democracy protests sweep Eswatini and are met by a deadly crackdown, the most serious challenge yet to one of the world's last absolute monarchies.
Era: Rule by Decree and the Birth of Eswatini
Sources: Pro-democracy protests in Eswatini · UK Parliament, House of Commons Library, Africa's last absolute monarchy is shaken as protestors defy Eswatini's king · National Geographic
- — North America:
Múte B. Egede becomes premier
After elections in 2021, Múte Bourup Egede of Inuit Ataqatigiit became premier, the youngest in Greenland's history, advocating independence as a long-term aim grounded in economic self-reliance.
Era: Self-Government, Resources and the Question of Independence
Sources: Prime Minister Múte B. Egede · Wilson Center, About Greenland / Politics in Greenland · Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland)
- — Africa:
Doumbouya's coup ousts Condé
Special-forces commander Mamady Doumbouya overthrows President Alpha Condé, dissolves the constitution and installs himself as transitional leader.
Era: Coups, Civilian Rule and Bauxite
Sources: 2021 Guinean coup d'état · Wikipedia, Mamady Doumbouya · Wikipedia
- — North America:
Assassination of President Moise
President Jovenel Moise is assassinated at his home, accelerating Haiti's slide into gang rule and state collapse.
Era: Democracy, Disaster, and Collapse
Sources: UN Security Council approves new force for Haiti amid gang violence · United Nations News
- — Asia:
Japarov and the return to presidential rule
After 2020 protests over disputed elections, Sadyr Japarov rose from prison to the presidency, winning election in January 2021; constitutional referendums then restored a strong presidential system.
Era: A Turbulent Republic: Revolution, Violence and Competitive Politics
Sources: Sadyr Japarov · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kyrgyzstan: In Brief (Sadyr Japarov and the 2021 constitutional changes) · U.S. Congressional Research Service
- — Africa:
Second coup brings Assimi Goïta to power
Colonel Assimi Goïta removes the transitional civilian president and prime minister and takes the presidency himself.
Era: Dictatorship, Democracy and Crisis
Sources: Mali, a Coup within a Coup · International Crisis Group, Timeline: How Mali went from democracy beacon to instability · Al Jazeera
- — Asia:
Military coup
The army seizes power, detains Aung San Suu Kyi and the elected leadership, and installs a junta under Min Aung Hlaing, triggering mass protests and civil war.
Era: Opening, the Rohingya Crisis, and the 2021 Coup
Sources: 2021 Myanmar coup d'etat · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Myanmar Civil War · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Germany acknowledges the genocide
Germany formally recognised the 1904–1908 killings of the Herero and Nama as genocide and pledged development funding, though many descendants rejected the terms as inadequate.
Era: Independent Namibia since 1990
Sources: Commemorating the Genocide of the Herero and Nama · Federal Government of Germany, Herero and Nama genocide · Wikipedia
- — North America:
Contested re-election
Ortega wins a further term after leading opposition candidates are detained, in an election widely criticised internationally.
Era: Democratic Interlude and Ortega's Return
Sources: Daniel Ortega · Encyclopædia Britannica, Nicaragua: Ortega's return to power · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Asia:
New Basic Statute and Vision 2040
Sultan Haitham issued a new Basic Statute establishing a formal crown prince and primogeniture succession, advancing Oman Vision 2040 and economic diversification.
Era: The Renaissance of Qaboos and Modern Oman
Sources: Haitham bin Tariq, sultan of Oman · Encyclopaedia Britannica, About Oman: The State - History · Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sultanate of Oman
- — Asia:
Al Ula declaration ends the blockade
At the GCC summit in Al Ula, the parties signed a solidarity and stability agreement restoring relations and reopening routes, ending the nearly four-year dispute.
Era: Qatar Under Tamim: Blockade and World Stage
Sources: Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Carlos Vila Nova elected president
Carlos Vila Nova won the presidency, continuing a record of peaceful, contested elections that has made São Tomé and Príncipe one of the region's more stable democracies.
Era: One-party state, democracy and the modern republic
Sources: São Tomé and Príncipe · Wikipedia
- — Africa:
Samia Suluhu Hassan becomes president
On the death of President John Magufuli, Vice-President Samia Suluhu Hassan is sworn in as the first female president of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Era: Modern Tanzania
Sources: Samia Suluhu Hassan · Wikipedia, President of Tanzania · Wikipedia
- — Africa:
Hichilema elected president
Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema won the presidency in a decisive, peaceful election, taking office with a mandate to restructure the national debt and revive the copper-dependent economy.
Era: The republic: Humanism, multiparty politics and modern Zambia
Sources: The Road to Zambia's 2020 Sovereign Debt Default · Finance for Development Lab, Zambia defaults, economically and politically · Institute for Security Studies
- — Europe:
EU candidate status granted
The European Council granted Bosnia and Herzegovina the status of EU candidate country, conditional on reforms to the rule of law and the constitutional and electoral system.
Era: The Dayton State and the European Path
Sources: Granting EU Candidate Status to Bosnia and Herzegovina (15 December 2022) · eucrim (Max Planck Institute)
- — Africa:
Coup ousts President Kaboré
Citing the government's failure to halt the insurgency, the military under Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Damiba removes elected president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.
Era: Compaoré, Uprising and the Sahel Insurgency
Sources: Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso · Wikipedia, Military Coups, Jihadism and Insecurity in the Central Sahel · OECD / Sahel and West Africa Club
- — Africa:
Verdict in the Sankara trial
A military tribunal in Ouagadougou sentences Blaise Compaoré (in absentia), Gilbert Diendéré and Hyacinthe Kafando to life imprisonment for the 1987 killing. Fourteen are tried; eight receive three to twenty years; three are acquitted.
Era: Compaoré, Uprising and the Sahel Insurgency
Sources: Life sentence for Burkinabe ex-leader Compaoré for Sankara murder · Al Jazeera, 6 April 2022
- — Africa:
Second 2022 coup brings Ibrahim Traoré to power
Captain Ibrahim Traoré overthrows Damiba in a second coup, becoming transitional leader as jihadist violence continues to spread.
Era: Compaoré, Uprising and the Sahel Insurgency
Sources: Islamist insurgency in Burkina Faso · Wikipedia, Military Coups, Jihadism and Insecurity in the Central Sahel · OECD / Sahel and West Africa Club
- — Asia:
Khmer Rouge tribunal concludes
The UN-backed Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia convicts senior Khmer Rouge leaders of crimes against humanity and genocide before concluding its work.
Era: Modern Cambodia: Hun Sen and Hun Manet
Sources: Cambodian genocide · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
New constitution rejected
After a 2020 vote to rewrite the charter, Chileans reject a sweeping progressive draft 62 to 38 percent, a major blow to President Gabriel Boric; a later attempt also fails.
Era: Return to Democracy and Modern Chile
Sources: Gabriel Boric · Encyclopaedia Britannica, History of Chile · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
Election of Gustavo Petro
Colombia elects Gustavo Petro, a former guerrilla, as its first leftist president, pledging a policy of total peace with remaining armed groups.
Era: Armed Conflict and the Search for Peace
Sources: History of Colombia · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Hans Island agreement with Canada
Denmark and Canada settled the 'Whisky War' by dividing Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel, ending a dispute dating to 1973 and creating Denmark's only land border with North America.
Era: Occupation, the Welfare State and the Modern Realm
Sources: Canada, Denmark end 50-year 'Whiskey War' over Hans Island · Canadian Geographic (Royal Canadian Geographical Society), Greenland and The Faroe Islands · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (um.dk)
- — North America:
State of exception and gang crackdown
After a surge of gang killings, the government imposes a state of exception suspending constitutional protections and launches mass arrests; homicides fall sharply amid human-rights concerns over tens of thousands detained.
Era: Postwar El Salvador and the Bukele Era
Sources: Nayib Bukele · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Oceania:
Peaceful change of government
Bainimarama's party loses its majority; a coalition led by Sitiveni Rabuka takes power through the ballot box, ending 16 years of his rule.
Era: New Constitution, Democracy & the Climate Frontline
Sources: Fiji — Countries (A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations) · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — Europe:
Finland applies to join NATO
Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 reversed Finnish opinion on military alignment; together with Sweden, Finland applied to join NATO, abandoning its long-standing non-alignment.
Era: Neutrality, the European Union and NATO
Sources: Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally · North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), History of Finland · InfoFinland (Finnish public authorities)
- — North America:
Xiomara Castro inaugurated
Xiomara Castro takes office as Honduras's first woman president, ending years of National Party rule.
Era: Crisis, Migration, and a New Century
Sources: Xiomara Castro · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Honduras: The 21st century · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — North America:
Extradition of Juan Orlando Hernández
Former president Juan Orlando Hernández is extradited to the United States to face drug-trafficking charges, later resulting in conviction.
Era: Crisis, Migration, and a New Century
Sources: Juan Orlando Hernández · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Census: more of Catholic than Protestant background
Northern Ireland's 2021 census, published in 2022, counted 45.7 per cent of residents as Catholic by current religion or upbringing and 43.5 per cent as Protestant or other Christian, against 45.1 and 48.4 per cent in 2011; 9.3 per cent had no religion either way.
Era: The Republic, Europe and the Northern Question
Sources: Census 2021 Main Statistics for Northern Ireland: Religion (statistical bulletin) · Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Northern Ireland: a century of change in statistics (Census 1926) · Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
- — Asia:
'Bloody January' unrest
Protests over fuel prices spread nationwide and turn violent; Tokayev declares a state of emergency, summons CSTO troops, and authorises lethal force, with about 227 deaths reported, then sidelines Nazarbayev's allies to consolidate power.
Era: Independent Kazakhstan
Sources: Kazakhstan: Independent Kazakhstan · Encyclopædia Britannica, A regime transition in action: Bloody January in Kazakhstan · Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki
- — Asia:
Anwar Ibrahim becomes prime minister
After years of imprisonment and opposition and a period of post-2020 instability, Anwar Ibrahim is appointed Malaysia's tenth prime minister following an inconclusive general election.
Era: The New Economic Policy, Mahathir and Modern Malaysia
Sources: Timeline: Anwar Ibrahim's long road to Malaysian prime minister · Al Jazeera
- — Europe:
EU candidate status
After applying for membership on 3 March 2022, Moldova was granted European Union candidate status by the European Council on 23 June 2022, opening accession negotiations in 2024.
Era: Independence, the Transnistria Conflict and the Road to Europe
Sources: Moldova: Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood · European Commission, Statement on the decision of the European Council of 23 June 2022 on granting EU candidate status to Moldova · European Parliament
- — Europe:
EU accession negotiations open
Following a French-brokered compromise, North Macedonia formally opened European Union accession negotiations, though Bulgaria's conditions continued to complicate the process.
Era: The Ohrid Framework, NATO and the Road to Europe
Sources: Republic of North Macedonia (EU enlargement policy) · Council of the European Union, How to advance a European solution to Bulgaria's and North Macedonia's dispute · European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)
- — South America:
Impeachment of Pedro Castillo
President Pedro Castillo is impeached and detained after attempting to dissolve Congress; Vice President Dina Boluarte succeeds him amid deadly protests.
Era: Reform, the Shining Path, and Modern Peru
Sources: Peru: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Peru: Government and society · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Asia:
Return of the Marcos name to power
Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr., son of the late dictator, wins the presidency, returning his family to the highest office 36 years after People Power.
Era: People Power and the Modern Republic
Sources: Ferdinand Marcos (biography; martial law; People Power) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Casamance peace agreement
A peace deal between the government and MFDC factions proves more durable than earlier ceasefires; violence drops sharply.
Era: A Democratic Republic and the Casamance Question
Sources: Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance · Wikipedia, Casamance: Between war and peace · The New Humanitarian
- — Oceania:
The security agreement with China
A security pact signed with Beijing sharpens Western concern about the Pacific, three years after the switch in recognition.
Era: Tensions, Recovery and Great-Power Attention
Sources: The Deep Roots of the Solomon Islands' Ongoing Political Crisis · Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Unpacking Solomon Islands 2024 Elections · Asia Society Policy Institute
- — Asia:
Registered at the UN as 'Türkiye'
At the government's request, the United Nations registered the country's official name as 'Türkiye' in June 2022, replacing 'Turkey' in international usage.
Era: The Republic and Modern Türkiye
Sources: Türkiye — Member States · United Nations, Turkey · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Asia:
Serdar Berdimuhamedow succeeds his father
In an early election, Serdar Berdimuhamedow won the presidency over 70 percent of the vote, succeeding his father in a managed dynastic transfer of power, with the elder Berdimuhamedow remaining head of the People's Council.
Era: Independence and the Neutral Republic
Sources: Serdar Berdymukhammedov · Encyclopædia Britannica, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Asia:
Mohamed bin Zayed elected president
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was elected president of the United Arab Emirates, succeeding his late brother Khalifa and continuing the Al Nahyan leadership of the federation.
Era: Oil Wealth and the Global Federation
Sources: Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (MBZ) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Asia:
UN-mediated nationwide truce
A two-month UN-brokered truce took effect on 2 April 2022, easing fighting, allowing fuel ships into Hodeidah and flights from Sanaa; it was extended and, though it later lapsed, largely held.
Era: Uprising, War and Humanitarian Crisis
Sources: Truce Agreement – April 2022 · Office of the UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen (OSESGY)
- — Oceania:
Voice to Parliament referendum
Australians voted against a constitutional amendment to recognise First Peoples and establish an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice to Parliament, leaving questions of recognition and reconciliation unresolved.
Era: Modern Australia: multiculturalism, reconciliation, and the apology
Sources: Australia (country) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
Brasilia attacked, democracy holds
Supporters of the defeated president storm the Congress, presidential palace, and Supreme Court; the institutions withstand the assault.
Era: Modern Democratic Brazil
Sources: Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Brazil · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Asia:
- — Europe:
Finland becomes NATO's 31st member
Finland deposited its instrument of accession and joined NATO as its 31st member on 4 April 2023, ending generations of neutrality and more than doubling the Alliance's land border with Russia.
Era: Neutrality, the European Union and NATO
Sources: Finland joins NATO as 31st Ally · North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
- — Africa:
Military coup ends Bongo rule
After a disputed 26 August 2023 election, officers led by General Brice Oligui Nguema seized power on 30 August 2023, annulling the result and detaining Ali Bongo — ending the Bongo family's 56-year hold on the presidency.
Era: Independence, oil, and the Bongo era
Sources: 2023 Gabonese coup d'état · Wikipedia, Gabon · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — Europe:
The Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighbourliness
Erdoğan and Mitsotakis signed a non-binding declaration committing both governments to a positive agenda, confidence-building measures and calm in the Aegean, without prejudice to each other's legal positions.
Era: The Modern Greek State
Sources: Athens Declaration on Friendly Relations and Good-Neighbourliness, 7 December 2023 · Hellenic Republic / Republic of Türkiye
- — North America:
Election of Bernardo Arevalo
Anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arevalo wins the presidency and, despite attempts to block him, is inaugurated in January 2024.
Era: Guatemala Since the Peace
Sources: Ambassadorial Level Meeting on Peacebuilding in Guatemala — Concept Note · United Nations Peacebuilding Commission
- — Europe:
Ohrid agreement on normalisation
At Ohrid the parties reached an EU-facilitated Agreement on the Path to Normalisation, committing to good-neighbourly relations and mutual recognition of documents and symbols, though Serbia did not recognise Kosovo's statehood.
Era: Independence and the Contested Present
Sources: Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue: Implementation Annex to the Agreement on the Path to Normalisation (Ohrid, 18 March 2023) · European External Action Service (EU), Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue: press remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell after the Ohrid meeting · European External Action Service (EU)
- — Asia:
Sheikh Mishal accedes as emir
After the deaths of Sheikh Sabah in 2020 and Sheikh Nawaf in 2023, Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah became ruler of Kuwait.
Era: Reconstruction and Modern Kuwait
Sources: Will Kuwait's Parliamentary Democracy Be Restored, Reformed, or Repudiated? · Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- — Africa:
Boakai defeats Weah
Joseph Boakai defeated the incumbent George Weah in the 2023 election and took office in 2024, marking another orderly transfer of power in post-war Liberia.
Era: Peace, Sirleaf, and the Ebola epidemic
Sources: Liberia — History (Colonialism, Civil War, Reconstruction) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Rajoelina wins a third term
An election boycotted by ten rivals, preceded by six weeks of protest, returns Rajoelina on the lowest turnout in the country's history.
Era: Independence & the Republics
Sources: Madagascar country profile · BBC News
- — Africa:
Coup against President Bazoum
The presidential guard detained elected president Mohamed Bazoum and General Abdourahamane Tchiani proclaimed a military junta — Niger's fifth coup since independence — drawing condemnation from ECOWAS and the West.
Era: Democracy, Tuareg rebellions and the cycle of coups
Sources: 2023 Nigerien coup d'état · Wikipedia, Niger: Two Years On, Ex-President Still Arbitrarily Detained · Human Rights Watch
- — Europe:
Agreement on the Path to Normalisation (Ohrid)
Serbia and Kosovo agreed to develop normal relations and recognise each other's documents and symbols, with an implementation annex agreed at Ohrid, while leaving the question of status unresolved.
Era: Modern Serbia and the Kosovo Dispute
Sources: Belgrade–Pristina Dialogue: Agreement on the path to normalisation between Kosovo and Serbia · European External Action Service (EU)
- — South America:
Bouterse conviction upheld
A Surinamese court upholds a twenty-year sentence against former president Desi Bouterse for the 1982 December murders.
Era: Democracy, Diversity, and Oil
Sources: Case Against Desi Bouterse (December Murders Case) · Nuhanovic Foundation, Suriname: Background and U.S. Relations · Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress
- — Europe:
The Windsor Framework
Northern Ireland, which voted 55.8 per cent to remain in the 2016 referendum, was kept aligned with EU goods rules after Brexit; the UK and EU's Windsor Framework added a 'green lane' for goods staying in the UK and a 'Stormont brake' requiring 30 Assembly members from at least two parties.
Era: World wars, decolonisation, and the modern UK
Sources: Windsor Framework unveiled to fix problems of the Northern Ireland Protocol · GOV.UK, EU Referendum 2016 (Northern Ireland) · ARK, Queen's University Belfast and Ulster University
- — Oceania:
UN asks the ICJ on climate obligations
A Vanuatu-led campaign, begun by Pacific law students, won a UN General Assembly resolution requesting an ICJ advisory opinion on states' climate-change obligations.
Era: Kastom, Cyclones and Climate Diplomacy
Sources: Vanuatu ICJ Initiative — Resolution · Government of Vanuatu (Vanuatu ICJ Initiative), UN Member States request advice of the ICJ in supporting Vanuatu against climate change threats · ReliefWeb (UN)
- — Asia:
The 2024 uprising and Hasina's fall
A student-led mass uprising over a civil-service job-quota system forces Sheikh Hasina to resign after fifteen years and flee to India; the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is appointed to head an interim government.
Era: Liberation War and Modern Bangladesh
Sources: Sheikh Hasina Wazed · Encyclopædia Britannica
- — North America:
Bukele re-elected
Despite a constitutional ban on consecutive terms, cleared by a loyal court, Bukele is re-elected by a landslide of about 85 percent of the vote.
Era: Postwar El Salvador and the Bukele Era
Sources: Nayib Bukele · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Mahama returns in a peaceful handover
John Dramani Mahama won the December 2024 election with about 56.5 percent of the vote; his opponent Mahamudu Bawumia conceded swiftly, marking another orderly transfer of power.
Era: Coups, republics, and modern democracy
Sources: Ghana — December 2024: Opposition secures decisive victory in presidential and parliamentary elections · International IDEA, Consolidating Democracy in Ghana: An Overview · Kujenga Amani (Social Science Research Council)
- — North America:
Transitional council and security mission
A transitional presidential council and a Kenyan-led security mission seek to restore order as gangs control most of the capital and a strengthened UN-authorised force is approved.
Era: Democracy, Disaster, and Collapse
Sources: UN Security Council approves new force for Haiti amid gang violence · United Nations News
- — Europe:
First nationalist First Minister
Power-sharing was restored two years after the DUP left the Executive over post-Brexit trade arrangements, and Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill became the first nationalist First Minister of Northern Ireland, alongside the DUP's Emma Little-Pengelly as deputy First Minister.
Era: The Republic, Europe and the Northern Question
Sources: Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill elected first ever nationalist First Minister of Northern Ireland · The Irish Times
- — Europe:
An unresolved status
Recognised by around a hundred states but not by Serbia, Russia, China or several EU members, Kosovo remains outside the UN, with the Serb-majority north around Mitrovica its most contested question.
Era: Independence and the Contested Present
Sources: Kosovo: Self-declared independence · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Kosovo (US recognition, 18 February 2008; diplomatic history) · US Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — Asia:
Parliament dissolved and constitution suspended
Emir Mishal dissolved the National Assembly and suspended several constitutional articles for up to four years, pausing the Gulf's oldest elected legislature.
Era: Reconstruction and Modern Kuwait
Sources: Will Kuwait's Parliamentary Democracy Be Restored, Reformed, or Repudiated? · Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
- — Africa:
- — Oceania:
Deadly unrest over electoral reform
A French move to widen the provincial electorate — feared to dilute the Kanak vote — triggered the worst violence in decades from 13 May: fourteen dead, some €2 billion in damage and a state of emergency.
Era: Three Referendums and an Unsettled Future
Sources: New Caledonia — The United Nations and Decolonization · United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, New Caledonia riots one year on: 'Like the country was at war' · RNZ Pacific
- — Asia:
South Korea declared principal enemy
Kim Jong Un renounces the goal of peaceful reunification, declaring South Korea a hostile separate state and the North's principal enemy and calling for constitutional revision.
Era: The Kim Jong Un Era
Sources: North Korea's Nuclear Weapons and Missile Programs · U.S. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress, Kim Jong-Un · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Africa:
Faye wins after democratic crisis
After Macky Sall's attempt to delay the election is overturned, Bassirou Diomaye Faye wins; power passes peacefully again.
Era: A Democratic Republic and the Casamance Question
Sources: Senegal — The Global State of Democracy · International IDEA, Bassirou Diomaye Faye · Wikipedia
- — Oceania:
Jeremiah Manele becomes prime minister
After general elections, parliament selects Jeremiah Manele as prime minister, signalling continuity in relations with China and Australia.
Era: Tensions, Recovery and Great-Power Attention
Sources: Solomon Islands Chooses Jeremiah Manele as New Prime Minister · Voice of America, Unpacking Solomon Islands 2024 Elections · Asia Society Policy Institute
- — Africa:
Memorandum of understanding with Ethiopia
Somaliland and Ethiopia announced an MoU giving landlocked Ethiopia coastal access, reportedly in exchange for moves toward recognition; Somalia condemned it as a violation of its sovereignty, heightening tensions in the Horn of Africa.
Era: Non-Recognition, Disputed Borders and a Changing Horn
Sources: The Stakes in the Ethiopia-Somaliland Deal · International Crisis Group, Ethiopia signs agreement to use Somaliland's Red Sea port · Al Jazeera
- — Africa:
ANC loses its majority
In the 2024 general election the ANC lost the outright parliamentary majority it had held since 1994, leading to a multiparty government of national unity and a new phase of coalition politics.
Era: Democratic South Africa since 1994
Sources: South Africa (country, history and government) · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — Europe:
Sweden joins NATO
Prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Sweden abandoned over two centuries of non-alignment and became NATO's 32nd member on 7 March 2024, gaining the protection of Article 5.
Era: Neutrality, the People's Home and the Road to NATO
Sources: Sweden officially joins NATO · NATO, Swedish flag raised at NATO Headquarters · NATO
- — Asia:
The Assad government falls
A rebel offensive led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham takes Damascus on 8 December 2024; Bashar al-Assad flees the country, ending over five decades of Assad family rule, and an interim government is formed.
Era: The Assad Era, the Civil War and the Fall of 2024
Sources: Bashar al-Assad · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
Disputed presidential election
The electoral authority declares Maduro re-elected; the opposition rejects the result and the United States and many governments dispute it.
Era: The Bolivarian Revolution and the Crisis
Sources: Venezuela: Background and U.S. Relations (CRS Report R44841) · Congressional Research Service, U.S. Library of Congress, A Guide to the History of Recognition, Diplomatic, and Consular Relations: Venezuela · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — South America:
- — Africa:
Biya re-elected at 92
Paul Biya won a further presidential term, extending a tenure begun in 1982; opposition figures disputed the official results.
Era: The Biya era and the Anglophone crisis
Sources: Paul Biya · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Cameroon (country analysis and Anglophone crisis) · International Crisis Group
- — South America:
UN reiterates call for negotiations
The UN Special Committee on Decolonisation again adopted a resolution asking Argentina and the United Kingdom to resume talks toward resolving the sovereignty dispute.
Era: Referendum, Fisheries and Oil to the Present
Sources: Special Decolonization Committee Adopts Resolution Asking Argentina, United Kingdom to Resume Talks over Falkland Islands (Malvinas) · United Nations Meetings Coverage and Press Releases, Falkland Islands (Malvinas) — The United Nations and Decolonization · United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
- — North America:
The 2025 election under world attention
Amid intense U.S. interest in the island, Greenlanders voted on 11 March 2025; the centre-right, gradualist Demokraatit party won the largest share, and most Greenlanders rejected becoming part of the United States.
Era: Self-Government, Resources and the Question of Independence
Sources: Greenland: Home rule, new international relations and US interest · House of Commons Library (UK Parliament), About Greenland / Politics in Greenland · Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland)
- — North America:
Jens-Frederik Nielsen becomes premier
Jens-Frederik Nielsen of Demokraatit took office as premier on 7 April 2025, supporting independence pursued pragmatically and insisting Greenland's future is for Greenlanders to decide.
Era: Self-Government, Resources and the Question of Independence
Sources: Greenland: Home rule, new international relations and US interest · House of Commons Library (UK Parliament), About Greenland / Politics in Greenland · Naalakkersuisut (Government of Greenland)
- — Africa:
Peaceful alternation of power
Peter Mutharika won the 2025 general election, defeating the incumbent Lazarus Chakwera, who conceded — marking another peaceful transfer of power in multiparty Malawi.
Era: The Banda regime and the democratic transition
Sources: 2025 Malawian general election · Wikipedia
- — Africa:
UK–Mauritius Chagos agreement
The two states sign a treaty recognising Mauritian sovereignty over the archipelago while leasing the Diego Garcia base to the UK for an initial 99 years.
Era: Republic & African Success Story
Sources: 2025 treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory / Chagos Archipelago · House of Commons Library, Mauritius No. 1 (2025): Agreement concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia · UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
- — Oceania:
Bougival agreement
France and most local parties signed the Bougival agreement proposing a "State of New Caledonia" within the Republic with a Caledonian nationality; the pro-independence FLNKS rejected it and the ratifying referendum was delayed, leaving the territory's status unresolved into 2026.
Era: Three Referendums and an Unsettled Future
Sources: New Caledonia — The United Nations and Decolonization · United Nations, Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, New Caledonia — Visits by Foreign Leaders / Department History · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
- — Oceania:
The FLNKS loses its moderates
PALIKA and then the UPM quit the coalition that had carried the independence cause since 1984, and five FLNKS members resign from the eleven-member executive.
Era: Three Referendums and an Unsettled Future
Sources: New Caledonia's pro-independence split widens, another party quits FLNKS · RNZ Pacific
- — Africa:
Israel recognises Somaliland
Israel announced formal recognition of Somaliland — the first UN member state to do so. Somalia condemned the step as unlawful, and a broad range of states at the UN reaffirmed that they regard Somaliland as part of Somalia.
Era: Non-Recognition, Disputed Borders and a Changing Horn
Sources: Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland · Al Jazeera, Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Triggers Sharp Divides at the Security Council · United Nations (Security Council press release), Who recognizes Somaliland? · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- — South America:
First woman president
The National Assembly elects Jennifer Geerlings-Simons as Suriname's first woman president amid an economic crisis and the promise of oil.
Era: Democracy, Diversity, and Oil
Sources: Jennifer Geerlings-Simons · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Suriname: Democracy Tracker, July 2025 · International IDEA
- — Asia:
ASEAN membership
Timor-Leste is admitted as the 11th member of ASEAN at the bloc's summit in Kuala Lumpur, its first enlargement in over two decades and the culmination of a years-long bid.
Era: Asia's Youngest Nation
Sources: Timor-Leste's Accession to ASEAN · U.S. Department of State, History Is Made: Timor-Leste Becomes ASEAN's 11th Member · The Diplomat
- — North America:
Persad-Bissessar returns as prime minister
In the April 2025 general election the United National Congress defeated the PNM and Kamla Persad-Bissessar was sworn in as prime minister, another peaceful transfer of power in the republic.
Era: A modern energy nation
Sources: Review of the Economy 2025 · Ministry of Finance, Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
- — Oceania:
ICJ delivers landmark climate opinion
The International Court of Justice found that states have binding legal duties to protect the climate and that failure to act may be an internationally wrongful act.
Era: Kastom, Cyclones and Climate Diplomacy
Sources: Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change (Advisory Opinion) · International Court of Justice, A Comprehensive Analysis of the ICJ Climate Advisory Opinion · Earth.org
- — South America:
ICJ hearings on the merits
Public hearings on the merits of Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) are held at the International Court of Justice, a decisive stage in the long-running Essequibo controversy.
Era: Oil, the Essequibo Controversy and the Present
Sources: Arbitral Award of 3 October 1899 (Guyana v. Venezuela) · International Court of Justice
- — North America:
Asfura succeeds Castro
After a narrow, contested 2025 election, Nasry Asfura of the National Party is inaugurated president, succeeding Xiomara Castro.
Era: Crisis, Migration, and a New Century
Sources: Xiomara Castro · Encyclopaedia Britannica, One month in: Honduras's new president Nasry Asfura · Atlantic Council
- — Oceania:
The Elysée-Oudinot agreement
A further accord is signed in Paris in Macron's presence by the parties represented in the Congress, including the moderate pro-independence PALIKA and UPM who have split from the FLNKS; the FLNKS itself stayed away and rejected it.
Era: Three Referendums and an Unsettled Future
Sources: Pro-independence FLNKS 'unequivocally' reject latest agreement for New Caledonia · RNZ Pacific, New Caledonia's political parties commit to 'historic' deal in France · RNZ Pacific
- — Asia:
Oman opens temporary corridors in the Strait of Hormuz
Oman declared the existing traffic separation scheme in the strait unsafe, opened two temporary corridors either side of it, and said no tolls would be charged.
Era: The Renaissance of Qaboos and Modern Oman
Sources: Oman opens temporary Strait of Hormuz shipping routes, says no tolls will be charged · The Standard (Hong Kong)
- — Africa:
Status still disputed and unresolved
Somaliland continues to govern itself de facto and claims sovereignty, yet it is recognised by only one UN member state; the African Union and the great majority of governments still regard it as part of Somalia, leaving its status unsettled.
Era: Non-Recognition, Disputed Borders and a Changing Horn
Sources: International recognition of Somaliland · Wikipedia, Who recognizes Somaliland? · Encyclopaedia Britannica, Israel's Recognition of Somaliland Triggers Sharp Divides at the Security Council · United Nations (Security Council press release)
- — Asia:
Ongoing cross-strait dispute
Into 2026 the dispute remains unresolved: the ROC governs Taiwan while the PRC claims it as a province without controlling it, and no peace treaty has settled the question.
Era: Democratisation and the Cross-Strait Dispute
Sources: Taiwan · Encyclopaedia Britannica, China Policy (Normalization of Relations, 1979) · U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian
Politics & Power in the 2020s
Every event in the Terralore archive tagged politics and power — dynasties, constitutions, revolutions and changes of regime, narrowed to the 2020s — 110 of them, drawn from 79 nations, running from 2020 to 2026. Each entry keeps the sources it was verified against and links back to the chronicle it came from.
- Events
- 110
- Nations
- 79
- Earliest
- 2020
- Latest
- 2026
- Africa
- 30
- Asia
- 23
- Europe
- 20
- North America
- 16
- South America
- 11
- Oceania
- 10
Every entry below is the same record, with the same sources, as the one on its nation’s chronicle.