EU elections

Fear of low turnout in Britain, Holland

Article published on the 2009-06-04 Latest update 2009-06-05 10:20 TU

Labour is polling poorly in the leadup to European elections.
(Source: The Times)

As British and Dutch voters head to the polls, kicking off the European Union elections, leaders urged high turnout, but polls indicate that the worsening economy has people more concerned with local and national issues and they are unlikely to make the effort to vote.

Over 375 million people are eligible to vote in the European parliamentary elections, which will take place over four days, ending on Sunday when most of the 27 member states will vote.

It’s one of the biggest demonstrations of the democratic process in the world, and represents a big advance especially for the countries from the east, which lived under repressive Soviet rule for decades, said European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.

But economic woes seem to be drowning out any celebration, and raise the spectre of extremist parties gaining support as they have traditionally done when times are tough.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under considerable pressure amid a scandal over MP’s expenses, which has seen the resignation of several ministers. His Labour Party could drop to third place behind both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats with even the Europhobic UK Independence Party threatening to overtake them.

Over in the Netherlands, everyone’s eyes are on far-right leader Geert Wilders, who came to fame with a promotional video that equated Islam with violence.

Polling shows that his Party for Freedom might edge out the Christian Democratic party of Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

Voter turnout in European elections has fallen each election since the first in 1979, and everything indicates that this trend may continue. Voter turnout was a mere 45 per cent in 2004.

UK voters will elect 72 MEPs, while the Dutch have 25. Europe’s largest country, Germany, has 99 seats.

Ireland and the Czech Republic are set to vote Friday, with Cyprus, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on Saturday before Europe’s Super Sunday when the rest of the countries will go to the polls.

Check out our special European elections site.