The dates/when the next elections for the European Parliament will be held are revealed

2023-05-17 11:59:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The dates/when the next elections for the European Parliament will be held are

The European Parliament elections are considered the largest transnational vote in the world.

The next election to elect the 705 members of the European Parliament will be held between 6 and 9 June 2024.

The dates were tentatively chosen by ambassadors from the 27 member states during a meeting on Wednesday and will be made official next week when ministers decide.

The election takes place every five years over a four-day period and is considered the largest transnational vote in the world. More than 400 million eligible voters from different nationalities are called to vote for their political representatives in the European Parliament at the same time.

The renewal of lawmakers also causes changes at the top of the European Commission and the European Council, meaning the jobs currently held by Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel will be up for grabs.

Von der Leyen has yet to confirm whether she intends to run for a second five-year term as European Commission president, while Michel is barred by law from continuing at the helm of the European Council as the post is limited to two consecutive terms of 2.5 years each. .

June 6-9 was chosen as the default as no other option gathered the necessary unanimity, a diplomatic source with knowledge of the discussions told Euronews.

Portugal had previously raised concerns about the date because its national day is celebrated on June 10 and could reduce attendance.

The previous election, held in May 2019, had an overall turnout of 50.66%, an increase of eight points compared to the 2014 vote.

Reacting to the news, European Parliament MP Roberta Metsola posted a video on her Twitter account encouraging voters to register and "be part of the biggest democratic exercise in Europe".

An early projection by Europe Elects suggests the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) will lose almost 20 seats but remain the largest party in the half-cycle with 163 MPs, followed by the Socialist and Democrat (S&D) group. , with 141 legislators.

Russia's occupation of Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, energy supplies, climate change and migration will feature prominently in the upcoming campaign.

The corruption scandal that has rocked the European Parliament, dubbed Qatargate, is also expected to be in the debate, although its impact on voters will be hard to gauge as media attention to the legal issue has waned significantly in recent months. / CNA.al