On 5 April 2016, the Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson from the Progressive Party stepped down. While emphasizing the step down was temporary, it is unlikely he will return as Prime Minister of the country. The Prime Minister has been the first big political figure to fall down following the historical leaks of the Panama Papers, in which his name was also mentioned. The step down was not enough as protests continued with calls for new elections as well. New elections were confirmed the next day on 6 April 2016 and are now planned for autumn this year. The Pirate Party is currently topping the polls, scoring over 40%.

On 5 April 2016, President Vladimir Putin announced a National Guard would be established. It would take over the functions of the current Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Russian special police units (OMON) as well as the rapid response units (SOBR), that compose the special police forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The goal of the new body would be ''the protection of public order''. According to Putin it would have to tackle terrorism and organized crime, which was repeated by Sputniknews and Russia Today, two pro-Russia outlets. The new army would be headed by Gen. Viktor Zolotov, a close ally of Putin since the 1990s and the former head of the security service of Putin.

The motion to unseat South African President Jacob Zuma was launched by opposition MPs after the constitutional court ruled that he had ignored an order to repay state funds spent on a lavish upgrade of his private home. He however survived the attempt to impeach him after the African National Congress party gave him its backing, winning the vote with 233 against 143. His reputation had however already been damaged due to other allegations. End 2015, he was accused of having ties to the Guptas (wealthy industrial families) and their involvement in selecting candidates for certain top cabinet and business jobs. Also before his election in 2009, he had already been fending off accusations of corruption and rape. The case was brought forward by public protector Thuli Madonsela alongside the country’s largest opposition parties – the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters party, led by long-time Zuma rival Julius Malema.

On 5 April 2016 primaries were held for both the Democrats and Republicans in the US. Bernie Sanders and Ted Cruz came out as the winners at the end of the day. While Bernie Sanders beat his opponent Hillary Clinton by winning by about 56,5% of the vote against 43,1%, Ted Cruz beat his opponents Donald Trump and John Kasich by winning 48,3% of the vote against 35,1% and 14,1% respectively. The win offers momentum for both Sanders and Cruz that are lagging behind, yet the odds of them winning the nomination remains low.

On 5 April 2016, a mutual ceasefire agreement - brokered by Russia that is a part of the Minsk Group - was reached between the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army together with the Armenian Armed Forces and the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The result came following four days of heavy fire between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the internationally unrecognised state of Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan. There have been different reports about the severity of the clashes, as some report hundreds of people died, while others speak of tens of deaths. Both sides have also accused each other of causing the clashes. The conflict is the worst since the 1994 ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, also as different types of heavy weaponry were used.

On 4 April 2016, Leonid Tibilov, the declared President of the internationally unrecognised state of South Ossetia, stated he would hold a referendum this year in autumn, on making it possible for South Ossetia to join the Russian Federation. At the same time he also stated South Ossetia military forces could be enlisted in Russian units, following an early alliance treaty between Russia and South Ossetia, that was agreed on last year. The move follows an earlier announcement in February to do so, and was done after consultations with President Vladimir Putin of Russia which were held days earlier.