By In a short piece, Yannis Karamitsios discusses just how important and difficult a job it will be encouraging voters to have the same amount of enthusiasm for turning out in May for the European elections as they do for national elections.
This list shows the sates turnout at the European Parliament elections compared to the national state elections and when they were last held:
Austria 45,39% 80,00% with a general election held in 2017)
Belgium 89,64% 89,37% with a general election held in 2014
Bulgaria 35,84% 54,07% with a general election held in 2017
Croatia 25,24% 52,59% with a general election held in 2016
Cyprus 43,97% 66,74% with a general election held in 2016
Czech Republic 18,20% 60,80% with a general election held in 2017
Denmark 56,32% 85,89% with a general election held in 2015
Estonia 36,52% 63,70% with a general election held in 2019
Finland 39,10% 70,10% with a general election held in 2015
France 42,43% 48,70% with a general election held in 2017
Germany 48,10% 46,97% with a general election held in 2017
Greece 59,97% 56,60% with a general election held in 2015
Hungary 28,97% 70,22% with a general election held in 2018
Ireland 52,44% 65,10% with a general election held in 2016
Italy 57,22% 72,93% with a general election held in 2018
Latvia 30,24% 54,58% with a general election held in 2018
Lithuania 47,35% 50,64% with a general election held in 2016
Luxembourg 85,55% 89,66% with a general election held in 2018
Malta 74,80% 92,10% with a general election held in 2017
Netherlands 37,32% 81,90% with a general election held in 2016
Poland 23,83% 50,92% with a general election held in 2015
Portugal 33,70% 55,80% with a general election held in 2015
Romania 32,44% 39,44% with a general election held in 2016
Slovakia 13,05% 59,82% with a general election held in 2016
Slovenia 24,55% 52,64% with a general election held in 2018
Spain 43,80% 66,50% with a general election held in 2016
Sweden 51,07% 87,10% with a general election held in 2018
UK 35,60% 68,80% with a general election held in 2017
There is a lot of talk about the fact that the European Parliament (EP) is the EU institution with the highest democratic legitimacy, because it is directly elected by the European people. I am not sure. The Council also enjoys a high degree of democratic legitimacy because it consists of democratically elected governments which are actually elected by a higher turnout than the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). In Slovakia, for instance, the turnout of the EP elections in 2014 was a dismal 13% while the turnout of the national parliament election in 2016 was 59%. The difference is striking. Moreover, the heads of governments (Prime Ministers) and their members (Ministers) are usually much better known to their national electorate than the MEPs.
The average turnout of 42% in 2014 should rise to at least 50% this year. The very low turnout figures of 2014 in several EU member states, which sometimes range between 13 and 30%, simply undermine everything what the EP is supposed to be.
If we wish to see a European Parliament with an increased clout, voice and democratic legitimacy, we first need to widen its electoral base. We should thus massively proceed to the polls of May otherwise not voting could give those who wish to undermine the parliament more opportunity to either diminish its power or even attempt remove it completely – something which cannot be allowed to happen.
This information article was published with the support of the European Parliament in Ireland and in conjunction with the #thistimeimvoting campaign.
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