Let’s be honest, 2020 hasn’t gone according to plan. For many of us, it’s been a troubled time of great uncertainty which we’d rather forget. And the good news is – we can! The great thing about time is it doesn’t tend to stop. The promise of 2021 looms on the horizon, and whilst the world might never be quite the same again, politics is something that never goes away.

UPDATE: There is a new article focusing on key political events in 2022 here.

What is on the 2021 political events calendar?

With the notable exception of the Black Lives Matter movement, many political agendas have stalled this year, as governments across the world firefight COVID-19. But rest assured, post-pandemic those arguments haven’t disappeared, and are likely to continue with a vengeance in 2021. With that in mind then, here’s our guide to the twenty key events for your 2021 marketing calendar which will define the political landscape… 

1st January – End of the 12-month Brexit transition period and one-year anniversary of the UK leaving the EU

First up is the big issue everyone seems to have forgotten about. Brexit had dominated the political agenda in the United Kingdom since 2016, and the 1st January 2020 saw the UK finally leave the European Union. The stage was set for 12 months of negotiation between the UK and EU to hash out the terms of a future relationship, during which time the UK effectively remains under EU law. Although those talks are ongoing, they’ve very much become the bridesmaid to the pandemic’s bride, and the issue remains shrouded in uncertainty. All that’s known for sure is that, as things stand, the United Kingdom will cease to be a member of Europe’s single market and customs union as London’s Big Ben strikes 12 to herald in the new year. 

20th January – US Presidential Inauguration 

Another long-running political drama thrown into yet further disarray by COVID-19 is the US presidential election due to take place on 3rd November 2020. All will have been revealed by early next year when either Donald J. Trump or Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 46th, or for the second time as the 45th, President of the United States of America. If recent US politics is anything to go by, I’ll wager we haven’t heard the last of this one. 

January 20th (ish) – Women’s March 

The first Women’s March took place in 2017 in response to Trump’s first inauguration as president, and was the single largest one-day protest in US history. Initially fuelled by the infamous statements publicised during Trump’s successful campaign run, the march has since become an annual, worldwide event advocating legislative action on women’s rights. Although no official date has been set for 2021, another edition will almost certainly take place – particularly if a certain reality TV star regains the keys to the White House. 

1st – 28th February (US & Canada) & 1 – 31st October (Europe) – African-American History Month/Black History Month 

North Americans will know this event as African-American History Month, and celebrate it in February every year, whilst Europeans will be more familiar with Black History Month, which takes place annually in October. Regardless of what you call it and when you commemorate it, both are month-long celebrations of the history, contributions and achievements of the African Diaspora in the western hemisphere. In light of the recent Black Lives Matter protests, both are likely to hold more significance than ever next year. 

8th March – International Women’s Day 

Another key focal point in the movement for women’s rights, International Women’s Day was first celebrated in its modern form in 1977. 

17th March – Dutch General election 

The next Dutch election is scheduled for mid-March, but may come sooner if a snap election is called. Since the last election in 2017, incumbent Prime Minister Mark Rutte has led the longest serving coalition in Dutch history, consisting of four centre to centre-right parties. The main threat to Rutte and his People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, is likely to come from the anti-immigration, Eurosceptic right. Forum for Democracy leader Thierry Baudet shocked the country’s political establishment in 2019 by making major gains in provincial elections and will look to pull off the same trick again in 2021. 

6th May – UK local elections 

Next year’s local elections in the UK are an amped up edition after similar polls scheduled for 7th May 2020 were pushed back 12 months over virus fears. May 2021 will see 184 local councils in England contested, elections for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, as well as polls for the London assembly and mayorship. Notable as the first big ballot box test for new Labour leader Keir Starmer, and of course, the first elections of national significance post Brexit.  

25th May – 1st anniversary of George Floyd’s killing 

The 25th May 2020 is a day which will forever be etched into the history of race relations in the United States and beyond. George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department was the latest instance of extra judicial killing of unarmed African-Americans in the ‘land of the free’, and sparked a wave of anti-racism protests around the world. Its anniversary next year will not pass unacknowledged. 

May or June 2021 – Iranian Elections 

The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but the Iranian elections are likely to take place in either May or June next year. With incumbent Hassan Rouhani not eligible to run for office due to term restrictions, there are few outstanding candidates at the time of writing. Iranian politics is highly factionalised, split between conservative Principalists – who don’t appear to adhere to any obvious principles, and Reformists – who advocate few reforms in any meaningful sense. In terms of domestic policies, including civil liberties, suppression of dissent and corruption, both sides’ most recent stints in government have yielded similar results. In light of escalating Iran-US tensions, the result is one to watch for its obvious implications on the international stage. 

1st – 20th June – Pride Month

The usually loud, proud and endlessly colourful Pride Month has been a strangely muted affair this year. Held annually in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots of 1969, Pride has become a mainstay of the political calendar with marches taking place across the world to support equality for the LGBTQ+ community. Expect it to be back with a bang in 2021. 

24th – 26th June – United Nations Special Session on corruption

Throughout its history, the United Nations has met in Special Sessions, held outside its annual General Assembly (which typically takes place in September) to make urgent recommendations on a particular issue. Next year’s meeting sees corruption on the agenda for the first time, as members outline an anti-corruption programme enforced by international cooperation.  

21st July – 8th August – Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo

One of the many misfortunes of 2020 has been the cancellation of innumerable political, entertainment and sporting events involving large audiences – and this is the biggest of the lot. Tokyo has waited seven years to host the Summer Olympics since it was selected as the host city for the second time in 2013, and it’ll have to wait a while longer after the International Olympic Committee pushed the event back by a further 12 months. Here’s hoping the belated Games will go off without a hitch next summer.  

11th September – 20 year anniversary of 9/11

The events of September 11th 2001 shocked the world. Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the deadliest terrorist attack human history has ever known, as infamous images of a burning Manhattan skyline were beamed across the globe. Every ‘Patriot Day’, as the subsequent anniversaries of the event have been known in the US, is marked with a minute’s silence and numerous memorial services throughout the country. New York City’s two baseball teams, the Mets and the Yankees will play at Citi Field to mark next year’s 20th anniversary. 

From 14th September onwards – 75th United Nations General Assembly 

The 193 states which make up the United Nations convene annually at its General Assembly in September at the UN headquarters in New York City. The Assembly will debate, vote and make recommendations on important global questions such as international development, peace and security, and international law. Member states will also vote to elect five non-permanent members of the UN’s Security Council. The Assembly runs until all issues have been addressed, and usually comes to an end in January of the following year. 

On or before 19th September – Russian Legislative Elections 

Due in mid-September at the latest, Russians will elect 450 new members of the State Duma. Ruling party United Russia goes to the polls having won 54.2% of the vote at the previous legislative election in 2016, ahead of the Communist Party and Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR). In reality though, politics in the Federation is far from a fair democratic contest, and United Russia look set to retain control of the legislature. With voting on constitutional reforms which will allow Vladimir Putin to hold presidential office until 2036 a foregone conclusion, that’s unlikely to change anytime soon.

On or before 22nd October – Japanese General Election

Whilst the Japanese constitution stipulates an election must take place in October 2021 at the latest, many commentators were predicting a snap election in the Autumn of 2020. The idea being an early election would have allowed the governing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to ride a wave of popular good feeling generated by the Tokyo Olympics. The delay of the Games has blurred the outlook somewhat. Current LDP leader Shinzō Abe is the longest serving Prime Minister in Japanese history, but is expected to step down within the next year. Opposition parties will also look to profit from a government mired in a string of recent scandals and hurt by the loss of its flagship event. 

On or before 24th October – German Federal Election

Much like the Japanese, the Germans are set to lose a modern political heavyweight of their own in the not too distant future. Chancellor Angela Merkel, now into her 15th year in power, announced her intention not to seek a fifth term at next year’s German Federal Elections. To add to the uncertainty, Merkel’s preferred successor as leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Annegret Kramp-Karenbauer, stepped down earlier this year amongst internal party instability. Bundestag challengers Social Democrats (SPD), Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the Greens will look to capitalise on this volatile moment. 

1st – 21st November – United Nations Climate Summit 

Like the Olympics and many other events, the UN’s annual Climate Summit was delayed a full year due to the virus. The venue remains Glasgow, where the UK will host the summit for the first time. The event is widely regarded amongst many science and policy experts as the last opportunity for the international community to cooperate effectively in order to fulfil the global temperature goals set out by the Paris Agreement of 2016.

Throughout 2021 – Equal Pay Days

Equal Pay Day is a symbolic day dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap. In the United States and Germany, the day is calculated based on how far into the new year an average woman must work in order to equal what an average man earns in the previous year (typically falling in March or April). In the UK, Equal Pay Day marks the day in the year when women effectively stop earning comparative to men until the following year (typically in November). This discrepancy, plus the fluctuating wage gap between different countries and various demographics within those countries means that Equal Pay Day falls on a number of days every year for different groups of women.

Throughout 2021 – EU ban on single-use plastics to come into force

In March 2019, 560 MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of banning single use plastics across EU member states in an attempt to reduce the 25 million tonnes of plastic waste produced by Europeans every year. The law will come into force throughout 2021, and will see an end to single use cutlery, plates, straws, cotton bud sticks, food containers and polystyrene cups. Members will also have to take measures to achieve a 90% collection target for plastic bottles by 2029. Despite leaving the EU, the UK will introduce similar initiatives under parliament’s Environment Bill 2019-21 which is expected to receive royal assent early next year. 

NB. Every effort has been made to ensure all dates and facts are accurate at the time of writing. 

Written by Robi O’Cleirigh