These are some of the notable events relating to politics in 2012.^[1]

Events

February

• The Singaporean by-election was held

March

• The Toi by-election was held in Niue.

April

• The World Bank presidential election was won by Jim Yong Kim.

June

• The United Nations General Assembly presidential election was held.

October

• The United Nations Security Council election was held.

November

• Xi Jinping succeeded Hu Jintao as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and became the paramount leader of China in November 2012.

Deaths

January

• Manuel Fraga Iribarne, Spanish politician (born 1922)
• Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, 9th President of Italy (born 1918)

March

• Francisco Xavier do Amaral, 1st President of East Timor (born 1937)
• Ċensu Tabone, 4th President of Malta (born 1913)
• George Tupou V, King of Tonga (born 1948)

April

• Miguel de la Madrid, 52nd President of Mexico (born 1934)
• Ahmed Ben Bella, 1st President of Algeria (born 1918)

May

• May 11 - Alfred Diamant, American political scientist and academic (born 1917)

Elections

• 6 November - Democrat Barack Obama is re-elected president of the United States.
• Local electoral calendar 2012
• National electoral calendar 2012
• Supranational electoral calendar 2012