Elections, the people, and the European Parliament
5 important questions on Elections, the people, and the European Parliament
How often are elections to the EP held?
Why are the rules governing European elections different from those that typically apply to national elections?
Since 1999, European elections have been conducted on the basis of proportional representation (PR) across the whole EU, although there are differences between the member states in the sytems that they use. What is PR?
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What may provide a partial explanation for the EP's declining popularity and legitimacy, as indicated by the fall in turnout at successive European elections?
How can we explain this poor turnout at European elections, particularly as public opinion surveys show that the EP is best known and the most trusted of the EU institutions?
- Parties also contribute to the problem: election campaigns are organized and financed by domestic political parties rather than by the European political groups. Thus candidates do not seek re-election as a member of the S&D or EPP, but as a French socialist or a German Christian Democrat.
- Moreover, the parties often campaign on natonal, rather that genuinely European, platforms.
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