EU Parliament hopes for higher voter turnout inspite recent scandal

 Interest in the European elections has increased in recent years, according to an opinion poll published by the European Parliament on Tuesday.

The survey comes one year ahead of the next European Parliament elections, which are to be held on June 6-9, 2024, when the current five-year term ends.

Some 56 per cent of respondents were interested in the elections and two thirds were likely to vote if the elections were held next week, the survey said.

Both figures are up compared with a similar poll carried out ahead of the previous elections in 2019.

Final election turnout in 2019 was at 50.7 per cent.

The higher interest is probably linked to the increased visibility of the EU in recent years due to multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s war on Ukraine, European Parliament spokesman Jaume Duch Guillot said.

A recent scandal in which former and sitting lawmakers were charged with corruption and money laundering did not impact the poll’s results, Guillot said.

But 60 per cent of respondents said they were not satisfied with the bloc’s fight against corruption, including 22 per cent who were “not at all satisfied”.

More respondents approved of the EU’s support for Ukraine, with an average of 76 per cent across the bloc.

Approval rates however differed between member states.

In Sweden, 97 per cent backed the EU’s help for Ukraine, compared with 51 per cent in Slovakia and 68 per cent in Germany.

Survey results were based on interviews with over 26,000 people aged 15 or older from the bloc’s 27 member states.

The European Parliament has fewer powers compared to national ones, as the European Parliament cannot propose laws.

(NAN)