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Global Events Forecast - May 2018
1 May 2018
Every month, the GGI compiles a list of upcoming international events that have some implications for its work. Here is a compilation of global meetings and events coming up in May 2018.
| 1 May | Armenian parliament elects new prime minister On 1 May, Armenia's parliament will vote for a new prime minister, replacing Serzh Sargsyan, who resigned on 23 April after weeks of demonstrations. Armenia's ruling party has not put forward a candidate, making opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan, the only candidate. Pashinyan has led the mass protests against Sargsyan, who had moved to the post of prime minister despite having already served two terms as president. |
| 3 May | Local elections in the UK (England) Voters will head to the polls in England on 3 May to choose who will represent them on their local council, with seats on about 150 councils up for grabs. This will be the first test of electoral opinion since the June 2017 general election. |
| 6 May | General elections in Lebanon On 6 May, for the first time since 2009, Lebanon will be holding parliamentary elections. The vote is being held under a new electoral system that is based on proportional representation. Lebanon has seen nine years of turbulent politics since the last elections, with two years of presidential vacuum, parliament extending its term several times, and the unexpected resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, followed by his sudden return. |
| 9 May | General elections in Malaysia Malaysians will go to the polls on 9 May in a parliamentary election that pits incumbent prime minister Najib Razak against his former mentor and ex-prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Razak, who is running for a third term, has been linked to a corruption scandal and his government has been accused of attempting to cling onto power, using manipulative methods such as gerrymandering, malapportionment and the misuse of institutional tools. |
| 12 May | Iraqi parliamentary elections Parliamentary elections will be held in Iraq on 12 May. This will be the fourth parliamentary elections since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, and the first since the defeat of the so-called Islamic State was declared in December 2017. However, the stability of the country remains fragile and the Islamic State has threatened to attack polling stations during the elections. |
| 12 May | US president Trump to decide on Iran deal US President Donald Trump has until 12 May to decide whether or not to stay in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Trump has been a fierce critic of the deal, insisting on the need for significant changes, amid European efforts to convince the US to stick with the deal. Iran's president Hassan Rouhani has ruled out any changes or additions to the current agreement. |
| 17 May | EU-Western Balkan Summit The EU-Western Balkans Summit, set to take place on 17 May in Sofia, Bulgaria, will bring together EU leaders with their counterparts from the Western Balkan region. Bulgaria, which is currently holding the Presidency of the EU Council, has made the region's integration into the EU a priority. However, the presence of Kosovo at the meeting will be contentious for some EU members and preparations for the meeting have been derailed by discord over the final joint statement. |
| 20 May | Presidential elections in Venezuela Venezuelans will cast their vote in presidential elections, after the original electoral date was pulled ahead several months to 22 April 2018, and then delayed by a few weeks to 20 May 2018. President Nicolás Maduro has become increasingly unpopular as a crumbling economy has plunged Venezuela into crisis. However, on 20 May, he will face only one significant challenger, Henri Falcón, after the main opposition bloc decided to boycott the election. The US, EU and most Latin American countries have announced that they will not recognise the election result. |
| 21-22 May | 2018 Development Cooperation Forum Convened by the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the 6th biennial high-level meeting of the Development Cooperation Forum will take place at the UN Headquarters in New York from 21 to 22 May 2018. It will bring together UN member states and key stakeholders to discuss trends and progress in international development cooperation. This year's forum will address the theme "The strategic role of development cooperation in achieving the 2030 Agenda: building sustainable and inclusive societies." |
| 23-24 May | Ninth Clean Energy Ministerial The ninth Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM9) will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Malmö, Sweden, from 23 to 24 May. Bringing together energy ministers and other high-level delegates from 24 member countries and the European Commission, CEM is an annual forum to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology. This year's event takes place under the theme "Energy integration and transition: towards a competitive and innovative low carbon economy." |
| 25 May | Irish referendum on abortion On 25 May, Irish citizens will vote on the issue of liberalising the country's strict abortion laws. Voters will be asked whether or not to repeal Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution (known as the Eighth Amendment) which gives pregnant women and their unborn children an equal right to life, effectively enshrining a ban on abortion. If voters decide in favour of repeal, the government has vowed to introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. |
| 25 May | Implementation date of EU General Data Protection Regulation From 25 May, comprehensive new data protection rules - the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - will take effect in all EU member states. Intended to update privacy and data protection rules for the digital age, they require, among other things, that tech companies obtain explicit consent from users to store their data and explain in plain language how this data will be used. It will also allow users to access, correct and delete their own data. |
| 27 May | Presidential elections in Colombia The first round of presidential elections in Colombia is scheduled for 27 May. Polls indicate a substantial lead for right-wing candidate Ivan Duque. His closest rival is left-wing candidate Gustavo Petro, a former mayor of Bogotá and ex-member of the demobilised M-19 guerrilla group. |
| In May (TBC) | North Korea to close nuclear test site According to the South Korean president's office, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to close its Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May, in the presence of South Korean and US observers and journalists. The pledge follows the historic meeting between Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in on 27 April. Kim Jong Un is also expected to meet with US president Donald Trump in late May or early June 2018. |
| Notable Anniversaries and International Days |
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