Luís Forra / Lusa
Faro (2018)
A report published by the international institute IDEA, which documents almost a hundred interrupted elections and referenda over two decades, points out that floods, fires and other extreme weather events represent a growing threat to democracy.
Between 2006 and 2025, at least 26 elections and referendums were interruptedtotally or partially, due to natural disasters.
The report by the international institute IDEA documented at least 94 interrupted elections and referendums in 52 countries.
Interestingly, this year in Portugal, the , due to the storms that hit the country between the end of January and the beginning of February. Therefore, the election in the most affected municipalities took place a week later than in the rest of the country, with the election already completely decided in favor of António José Seguro.
Such a scenario may have made several voters disbelieve that their vote really matters, this being one of the risks of intervening climate events in democracy.
IDEA, based in Stockholm and dedicated to democracy, published the study to coincide with Earth Day, which is celebrated annually on April 22.
Others referendums and elections were interrupted by floods, hurricanes, heat waves and landslidesin a context of climate change that is worsening extreme weather events.
Only By 2024, extreme weather has disrupted 23 elections in 18 countriesaccording to the report “Managing Natural and Climate Risks in Elections”.
“From hurricanes and floods to forest fires and heat waves, these events damage infrastructure, displace voters and oblige last minute changes in electoral processes”, wrote IDEA, in a statement.
The report mentions the impact of Hurricane Sandy on the 2012 US elections, the 2023 earthquake on the presidential and parliamentary elections in Turkey and an intense heat wave on the 2025 elections in the Philippines.
“As climate-related risks intensify, the pressure on already fragile democratic systems increases“, wrote the organization.
“As elections should be held when the risk of disaster is lowest; In some cases, electoral management bodies will also have to consider changing the electoral calendar to reduce the risk of disruption caused by short-term disasters”, it states Sarah Birchprofessor of Political Science at the British university King’s College London.
The parliament of the province of Alberta, in western Canada, for example, moved the fixed election date from May — during the forest fire season — to October, starting in 2027.
Extreme weather events could also have long-term effects on democracy, the report warned.
“The precariousness and trauma associated with natural disasters can exacerbate the grievances of affected citizens, facilitate the spread of conspiracy theories and impose additional hardships on the most vulnerable,” says IDEA.
As democratic institutions should be considered “critical infrastructure sensitive to environmental threats and which requires special protection”, add the authors of the report, who urge countries to include electoral processes in national climate change adaptation plans.
