19 EU states cast their ballots - Fringe parties likely to benefit most from low voter turnout

June 8th, 2009

By REUTERS

BRUSSELS, sunday

European Union states voted Sunday on the final day of European Parliament elections expected to embarrass national governments struggling to combat the effects of the global economic crisis.

Voting took place in 19 countries on the fourth and final day of the election, in which the other eight EU member states have already finished voting.

In Ireland, exit polls showed the ruling Fianna Fail party faced the loss of one of its four European seats to Eurosceptics, suggesting that passage of the EU’s reform treaty may not be as automatic as forecast in a likely October referendum.

Irish voters rejected the treaty aimed at streamlining EU decision-making last year and their support is needed for the reforms to go into effect.

Although centrist parties are expected to remain the dominant forces in the 736-member European Parliament, which shapes many EU laws and authorises the EU budget, some far-right parties could make gains if the turnout is particularly low.

In mainland France, turnout was slightly higher than in 2004, with 14.81 per cent of those eligible having voted by 1000 GMT, against 13.65 per cent at the same time in 2004.

Domestic issues

Opinion polls before the election began suggested fewer than half the EU’s 375 million electorate would vote.

Parliament will start releasing results at 2000 GMT. Exit polls from voting in the Netherlands worried EU leaders by showing gains for a far-right party.

“It doesn’t look like the elections are going to be a triumph or a grand moment for European democracy,” said Thomas Klau of the European Council on Foreign relations.

“National governments have set the perception that Europe is pretty useless by not being able to deliver a sufficiently strong and compelling and united message in the midst of the biggest economic crisis since the 1930s.”

Many voters are worried by rising unemployment and say the EU has done too little, too late, to tackle the economic crisis, although it eventually agreed a fiscal stimulus plan.

Others say the EU is too distant and has little impact on their daily lives. Some simply do not understand a system in which the parliament shares power with the executive European Commission and a Council of EU heads of state and government.

Many voters were expected to vote on domestic issues, which is bad news for several national governments.

Britain’s Labour Party, mired in a scandal over parliamentarians’ perks, looks set for a drubbing. Other countries where governing parties could suffer setbacks include Ireland Spain, Greece, Hungary and the Czech Republic.

source.nation.ke