HL Deb 21 July 2004 vol 664 cc56-7WA
Lord Bowness

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In connection with the 2004 elections for the European Parliament, what was the percentage turnout in each of the 25 member states; what was the method of election in each state; which states used closed list systems, as in the United Kingdom; and in which states the order of candidates within the list can be varied by the voter. [H L3889]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Filkin)

The information is contained in the table below. Every state of the European Union (EU) used a system of proportional representation to elect its representatives. Eight states (including Great Britain within the UK) used the "closed" list system. Fifteen states used an "open" list system in which the order of the candidates can be varied by the voter. Two states (and Northern Ireland within the UK) used the single transferable vote which also allows preferential voting by electors.

EU State Turnout (%)1 Single Transferable Vote2 "Closed" List2 "Open" List2
Belgium 90.8 ✓
Luxembourg 90.0 ✓
Malta 82.4 ✓
Italy 73.1 ✓
Cyprus 71.2 ✓
Greece 62.8 ✓
Ireland 59.7 ✓
Lithuania 48.2 ✓
Denmark 47.9 ✓
Spain 45.9 ✓
France 43.1 ✓
Germany 43.0 ✓

EU State Turnout (%)1 Single Transferable Vote2 "Closed" List2 "Open" List2
Austria 41.8 ✓
Latvia 41.2 ✓
Finland 41.1 ✓
Netherlands 39.1 ✓
United Kingdom 38.9 ✓ (Northern Ireland) ✓ (Great Britain)
Portugal 38.7 ✓
Hungary 38.5 ✓
Sweden 37.2 ✓
Slovenia Czech 28.3 ✓
Republic 27.9 ✓
Estonia 26.9 ✓
Poland 20.4 ✓
Slovakia 16.7 ✓
1 Source: House of Commons Research Paper 04/50
2 Source: United Kingdom Office of the European Parliament