2020, apart from being a crisis-hit year, involved high-electoral stakes as the world's most vibrant democracy - the United States of America - saw a presidential battle considered to be the most crucial in last few decades. The year 2021 would also be keenly watched by geopolitical analysts as one G5 member and two of the most important stakeholders in the turbulent region of Middle East would be going to the polls. Here are the five elections to watch out.

Netherland general elections: The lower house of Dutch parliament, which is the more powerful between the two wings of legislature, would go to polls on March 17. The 150-seat house, referred to as Tweede Kamer, witnesses a battle between the centre-right coalition headed by Prime Minister Mark Rutte's People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and far-right leader Geert Wilders' Freedom Party (PVV). Year-Ender 2020: Jacinda Ardern, Sanna Marin, Mette Frederiksen and Others — Women Leadership Hailed for Effective COVID-19 Response.

Ethiopian parliamentary elections: The country, located in the Horn of Africa, was scheduled to go to polls in August this year. The polls were deferred, citing COVID-19, by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed who has consolidated power by merging most ethnic political groups into a single party barring the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF). The elections that are expected in early 2021 comes amid escalating ethnic violence, with the clashes that erupted since November leaving around 50,000 Tigrayans displaced.

Israel's Knesset elections: The 120-member Knesset or the Israeli parliament would go to polls on March 23. This would be the fourth election in last two years, and is necessitated due to the breakdown of the unity alliance formed between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party and rival Benny Gantz's Blue and White Alliance. After three virtual ties, analysts feel the odds are stacked up against Netanyahu as he faces trial in corruption case.

Iranian presidential election: Another key poll battle in Middle East will be held on June 12, when Iranians would vote to elected their new president. The laws bar incumbent Hassan Rouhani to vie for another term. The moderates, in the backdrop of US pull out from 2015 nuclear deal, are apparently trailing behind the hardliners. This was one of the reasons why the ultra-conservatives scored a massive win in the parliamentary elections held in February this year.

German federal election: After 16 years of Angela Merkel as the Chancellor, Germans will brace for a new head of the state. The federal election in Germany will be held on September 16, and Merkel has already announced her intent to retire before the polls. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, whom she chose as the successor, resigned as chief of the ruling Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after facing intra-party setbacks. In the polls to come, the CDU still remains most likely to emerge as the single-largest, but analysts foresee a close battle between the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Green Party for the second spot. The far-right Alternative for Germany has slipped behind in ratings in the past few months.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2020 11:18 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).