European voters have turned out in record numbers to choose lawmakers to represent them at the European Parliament for the next five years.
BRUSSELS — European voters have turned out in record numbers to choose lawmakers to represent them at the European Parliament for the next five years.
More than 400 million voters in 28 nations had the right to vote over the past four days. Here’s a look at that massive exercise in democracy, a multi-national ballot by the European Union’s only democratically elected institution.
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WHO, WHEN, WHAT ON THE EU VOTE?
Europe’s voting marathon kicked off Thursday in Britain and the Netherlands. Voters in Ireland turned out on Friday, and those in the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on Saturday. On Sunday, people in the remaining 21 EU nations cast their ballots.
Voters in each EU nation chose some of the 751 lawmakers in the European Parliament, which sits in both Brussels and Strasbourg, France.
Seats in the European Parliament are doled out proportionally based on a nation’s population. Cyprus, Luxembourg and Malta have the fewest seats with six each, while the EU’s most populous member, Germany, has 96 seats.
The results from every nation were being released late Sunday after the last polling station in the continent closed. Estimates suggested turnout could hit 51%, the highest in 20 years.
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HOW IMPORTANT IS THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT?
The assembly’s powers are slowly growing. It’s helped to improve air flight safety in Europe, cut down on plastics use, end mobile telephone roaming charges within the bloc, boost data privacy, set climate change ambitions and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cars.
The parliament also has a say in treaties ranging from trade talks to Brexit.
The EU’s powerful executive arm, the European Commission, proposes laws, while EU lawmakers amend and negotiate their content with national governments, which are the real font of European power and are represented by the EU Council.
