Voter turnout for European Union election records new low

Producer: Melanie Yip
First broadcast: 14 June 04, Radio Singapore International

The first election for a newly expanded European Union, or EU Parliament recorded an all time low voter turnout, in the history of the EU.

Less than 45 percent of voters cast their ballots, with many giving a no confidence vote to their governments in the EU Parliament.

EU voter participation was even weaker in the 10 new, Eastern European states, with an average of 26% of votes cast.

What is the significance of the first EU Parliament Election since the organization expanded to 25 member nations on May 1, this year?

Melanie Yip put the question to Mr. Jose Sales Marques (JSM), President of the Institute of European Studies in Macau.

JSM: The European Parliament is supposed to represent the people of Europe. And the fact that it is directly elected contrasts with the constitutions, namely the commissions, and the councils. Therefore, it is the most represented institution of the European Union. However, due to the fact that it is the responsibility and its competence are not influential in terms of decision making. There is a perception that this parliament is not so important, powerful.

Now the EU Parliament was set up in 1979. These is a public perception that it has very little real powers, and is dogged with corruption. Is there justification for these perceptions?

JSM: The real issue is that there is a perception that members of the EU Parliament do enjoy good conditions for their work, like salary and other benefits. Therefore, the perception is that this strikes a contrast with the production of usefulness that the parliament has. Of course, it is not totally right because the EU Parliament, as a matter of fact, has been gaining power over the years. And if the constitution of Europe is approved, the parliament is expected to gain more power.

But what influence does it have in terms of budget approvals, legislation on trade, environment and consumer affairs?

JSM: It has influence in budget approvals because of the major stakes in these approvals. Of course, there are always back door negotiations among the states, which is the work of respective governments European Commissions. Anyway, the formal approval of the budget is done by the parliament.

Getting back to the elections, voter turnout was the lowest, at about 44% in the history of the EU Parliament, since direct elections began in 1979. What are the possible reasons for the low turnout?

JSM: The perception that the people, the voters of the new member states have, regarding the role of the European Parliament is still very weak. On the other hand, some form of elitism characterizes the process of integrating the European Union, or joining the European Union. I would say, the politic elite, they know what is happening, and are clear about the workings of the EU. But as we know, and this is not the only problem of the new states, the problem of the current or old EU members, the perception of what is going on in the EU is not a general view. The general public is not aware of what is happening at the Union level, they do not know how it functions. There is still a lack of awareness on what the European Union is about.

It appears that many of the European voters had given a vote of no confidence for the governments who supported the US-led invasion of Iraq, and those who adopted unpopular economic reforms. What does this say about how Europeans in general feel about the Iraq war?

JSM: The general feeling at this moment is most Europeans would want the commitment to Iraq to lessen, or to adopt a different approach to Iraq. What influenced the voting results might have to do with the internal policies, or domestic policies like economy, more than the international environment. I’m sure that the Europeans who voted against their actual government are more concerned with the issues of livelihood, unemployment, problems that Europe is going through in terms of economic problems. Therefore, I would tend not to put too much emphasis on the international environment.