Less than a third of Slovaks plan to vote in European elections

Less than a third of Slovaks plan to vote in European elections

A poll carried out by Focus agency on behalf of the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia shows that 27 percent of the respondents want to participate in the European Parliamentary elections, while 8 percent are sure that they will not take part. However, political scientist Pavol Baboš notes that voter turnout promised in surveys and actual turnout on election day are two different things. "It's one thing to say yes in a poll and another to get up and vote on the day of the election," he said. According to Baboš, the reason why voter turnout will probably be lower is that the European elections will overlap with the presidential election, which will see a big campaign in the run-up to the vote. He pointed out that the presidential election will be followed by Easter, when most politicians do not actively participate in campaigning.

The poll also showed that 55 percent of the respondents trust the EU. The average in the EU was 42 percent. The head of the representation, Ladislav Mika, is surprised by the fact that 63 percent of respondents cannot see any benefits from Slovakia's membership of the EU. Political analyst Pavol Baboš noted that Slovaks tend to see personal economic benefits, while common values, for example, are much less visible to them. However, recent surveys show that Slovaks' trust in EU institutions is little higher. Specifically, 43 percent of Slovaks trust the European Commission and 46 percent the European Parliament. Around 43 percent of Slovaks trust the European Union in general, while the EU average is 42 percent.

Elections to the European Parliament will be held in Slovakia on Saturday, May 25th. Slovakia will be represented in the European Parliament by 14 MEPs, if the United Kingdom leaves the EU as scheduled by the end of March.


Zuzana Botiková, Photo: SITA

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