WH News
A handful of polling locations across the United States have reported technical issues with how ballots are cast during the midterm elections, causing officials to delay the closing time for polls so votes can be cast, according to Al Jazeera.
Israel’s October 27 election ended in a political stalemate, with exit polls showing neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, securing the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to win 50 seats, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc took 52 to 53, according to multiple Israeli media outlets. Arab parties, including the Joint List and Raam, were projected to win 17 to 18 seats combined, their strongest showing in Israeli history.
Serbia’s long-serving leader Aleksandar Vucic conceded defeat on Sunday to a student-led opposition movement in a snap parliamentary election that marked a seismic political shift. Vucic, whose Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) had dominated Serbian politics for 14 years, said his opponents in the Students’ List were projected to win between 135 and 140 of the 250 parliamentary seats. “The Students’ List has won,” Vucic said at his party’s election night event, though he blamed “independent media,” “unnamed European countries,” and an “American deep state” for the loss.
Bulgaria’s presidential election will go to a runoff on November 1 after no candidate won a majority and turnout fell to a record low of under 40%. Exit polls showed incumbent President Iliana Yotova with 35–47% of the vote, and former caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov with 28–33.5%. The vote was held amid rising economic hardship, inflation, and drone attacks on Black Sea shipping that killed at least two dozen international seafarers. The government said the attacks “benefit Russia,” but has not directly blamed Moscow. Both candidates condemned the strikes and called for stronger maritime security, with Bulgaria seeking assistance from its allies.
Brazilians cast ballots in a closely contested presidential election runoff pitting leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva against far-right candidate Flávio Bolsonaro. The race, according to The Guardian, is considered one of the most unpredictable in the country’s history.
EDMONTON — Voters in Alberta, Canada, overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to begin a process toward independence, with 76% supporting continued membership in Canada and 24% backing the separation path, according to unofficial results from Elections Alberta.
BRASÍLIA — Senator Flávio Bolsonaro narrowly led President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s first-round presidential election, forcing a runoff on October 25 after both candidates failed to secure an outright majority. Bolsonaro, 45, received 47.2% of the vote, while Lula, 80, received 45%, according to results processed by the electoral court. “Tomorrow we start a new campaign,” Lula said, while Bolsonaro expressed optimism about the “definitive answer” the country will give in three weeks.
RIO DE JANEIRO — Flávio Bolsonaro, son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro, narrowly led President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s first-round presidential election on 4 October, setting up a decisive runoff on 25 October. Bolsonaro won 47% of the vote, while Lula secured 45%, according to results reported by The BBC and The Hindu.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to remain in office despite exit polls showing significant setbacks for his CDU party in two state elections, according to the BBC.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has pledged to remain in office despite exit polls indicating damaging defeats for his Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in two state elections, according to the BBC.
German elections underway in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern could determine the future of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his CDU party, according to BBC.
Converse has removed an advertisement that sparked widespread backlash for being 'deeply upsetting,' according to multiple reports.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, announced a 15% increase in the country’s main cash-transfer programme for poor families and free weight-loss jabs, according to The Guardian.
Critics have launched a boycott campaign against US cheese giant Tillamook over its new halal labeling, according to Al Jazeera.
Eight German state premiers from the CDU have publicly backed Chancellor Friedrich Merz amid growing speculation over his political future. The move comes as the party faces setbacks in upcoming regional elections and internal uncertainty.
Swedish election results show the left-wing bloc leading with 176 mandates against 173 for the right-wing bloc, with the final outcome pending Wednesday after late and overseas votes are counted, according to BBC and DW.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has criticized AfD leader Alice Weidel in parliament, calling her party a 'destructive force' after the anti-immigration party's sweeping victory in Saxony-Anhalt. According to the BBC, Merz accused the AfD of endorsing a migration policy that amounts to 'ethnic cleansing' for skilled workers.
Polling averages suggest Democrats may take control of the House in the 2026 midterm general election, according to NPR.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino will stand for re-election in 2027, despite growing criticism and legal challenges, according to the global football governing body.
German voters in Saxony-Anhalt head to polls as the far-right AfD party seeks a historic state-level victory, according to surveys and reports.
A mock website redirecting users to the Epstein Files appears at the top of Google search results for the GOP’s 2026 midterm convention, according to Al Jazeera.
As tensions in São Paulo’s upcoming city elections escalate, Bolsonaro ally Pablo Marçal faces a physical altercation during a televised debate, according to FAZ. The October 6 vote is expected to involve 9.3 million eligible voters, according to Unsere Zeitung.
President Donald Trump will campaign in Alaska for embattled incumbent Sen. Dan S. Sullivan ahead of November’s midterm elections. Trump criticized the state’s ranked choice voting system as 'a crooked form of voting,' according to the Washington Examiner.
Guinea-Bissau voters have approved a new constitution that expands presidential powers, according to the Guardian.
