Keys to understanding abstention in the European Elections

Summary:

The extremely high level of abstention in the recent European elections raises numerous questions as to the level of public interest in the process of European integration. That voter abstention is a problem of prime importance is obvious but, for whom? For the European parliament? For national governments? For political parties? For the citizens themselves? This paper looks at some of the more plausible hypotheses that can satisfactorily explain the phenomenon of abstention in the European elections, concluding that it cannot be attributed exclusively to public rejection of the process of European integration. It also argues that the ease with which national governments and political parties lay the blame on European institutions and the very process of European integration clashes with the fact that it is those same governments and political parties that make up Europe's institutions and drive the integration process in the first place. Finally, we draw attention to the negative after-effects of these elections on the ratification of the European Constitution.

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