Election rules
X
No. Meps by country
X
Who can vote?
The elections to the European Parliament will be held in all EU member states between 23 and 26 May 2019. The precise day of elections is set by member states, but most countries are expected to vote on Sunday, 26 May. The exceptions to this are the Netherlands who will go to the polls on the 23rd, Ireland and the Czech Republic on the 24th, and Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on the 25th.
MEPs are elected according to national electoral systems, but these have to observe certain common provisions established by EU law such as proportional representation. This system ensures that if a party gets 20% of the votes, it will also win roughly 20% of the contested seats, so both larger and smaller political parties have the chance to send representatives to the European Parliament.Besides this, member states are free to decide on other aspects of the voting procedure. The majority use the preferential voting system, in which voters can express their preference for one or more of the candidates. Other member states use the closed list system, in which voters can only vote for a party, without the possibility to rank the candidates in order of preference. Uniquely, Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV). Under this system, the voter has one vote but can rank the candidates in order of preference.
The minimum age to vote and to stand as a candidate in European elections is established by national law. The age of eligibility is 18 in all member states apart from Greece, where it is 17, and Austria and Malta, where the minimum voting age is 16. The minimum age for candidates varies, ranging from 18 in France and Germany to 25 in Greece and Italy.
Almost all member states allow citizens to vote from abroad in European Parliament elections. This, according to national laws, may require citizens to be residing in another member state and to pre-register with their national electoral authorities. Amendments made in 2018 to the 1976 Electoral Act permit member states to provide for postal and electronic voting.
Voting is compulsory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Luxembourg, Cyprus and Greece.
When do they vote?
How does the vote work?
France
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 79
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
o Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Constituencies: 3
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
o Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
BELGIUM
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 19
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 16
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Austria
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 17
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
BULGARIA
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 12
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Croatia
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 6
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Cyprus
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 24 and 25 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Czech Republic
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 14
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
DENMARK
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 7
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
o e-voting
ESTONIA
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 14
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Finland
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 96
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Germany
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 17
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Greece
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Hungary
Constituencies: 3
Total No. MEPs: 13
Voting day: 24 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Single transferable vote
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Ireland
Constituencies: 5*
Total No. MEPs: 76
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Italy
* Once the number of seats for each party is known, these are given to the candidates based on the number of votes from each region towards the party's nationwide total, awarded proportionally to the five regions
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 8
Voting day: 25 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Latvia
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 11
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Lithuania
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 6
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Luxembourg
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 29
Voting day: 23 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
o Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
netherlands
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 6
Voting day: 25 May
Voting age: 16
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Malta
Constituencies: 13*
Total No. MEPs: 52
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
* Once the number of seats for each party is known, these are given to the candidates based on the number of votes from each region towards the party's nationwide total, awarded proportionally to the 23 regions.
Poland
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Portugal
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 33
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Romania
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 14
Voting day: 25 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
x Postal
x Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
Slovakia
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 8
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Slovenia
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 59
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Spain
Constituencies: 1
Total No. MEPs: 21
Voting day: 26 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Preferential
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
x Proxy
o Local embassy
x e-voting
Sweden
Constituencies: 12
Total No. MEPs: 73
Voting day: 23 May
Voting age: 18
Voting system: Closed list in England, Scotland and Wales. Single transferable vote in Northern Ireland.
Voting possibilities for citizens living abroad:
o Postal
o Proxy
x Local embassy
x e-voting
United kingdom
