The Czech News Agency reports that interest in the elections to the European Parliament in the Czech Republic is very low, with election commissioners reporting on Saturday afternoon that less than 15 % of the electorate had turned out on average. This could ultimately yield a record-low level of participation.
The previous EP elections did not spark great interest among the voters either, but both in 2004 and five years ago, slightly more than 28 % of them did turn out. Interest in the elections is evidently higher in larger towns, with slightly more than 20 % of voters casting ballots in Prague.
It is possible to vote until 14:00 on Saturday in the Czech Republic. Voting began Friday at 14:00 and only 10 % of the electorate had turned out by the time polls closed at 22:00.
The low interest continued Saturday. Just a fraction of the electorate turned out in the Olomouc Region, and participation has hovered around 10 % there for the most part so far.
"On Friday participation was very weak and only a few people voted in some places. This morning I went to vote in our village, where there are 390 registered voters. I was glad to see I was number 40," Marie Mazánková of the Olomouc Regional Authority told the Czech News Agency.
The Ústí Region traditionally has the country’s lowest voter participation rates. "People are coming here today a bit more than they did yesterday (on Friday), but there are still very few of them. Participation is around 10 %," the chair of the electoral commission for precinct 1005 in the larger central area of Ústí nad Labem told the Czech News Agency today at 10:30 AM; during the last EP elections, 22.5 % of eligible voters participated there.
In the capital, the Prague 6 neighborhood traditionally enjoys above-average voter interest. Adam Halmoši, the spokesperson for the Prague 6 municipality, told the Czech News Agency that as of 10 AM, roughly 22.5 % of the electorate had turned out.
In Prague 7, where a referendum on restricting gambling is being held simultaneously with the EP elections, around 22 % of voters have turned out as well, according to rough estimates. The heads of the parties seated in the Czech Parliament cast their EP votes on Friday right after polls opened.
While they expect different things from the elections, all of them called on voters to turn out. Former Czech President Václav Klaus turned out to vote today.
Long known for his rejection of the current form and tempo of European integration, Klaus told the press that he believes the EP elections are unnecessary and that the low voter turnout is a testament to the fact that the attempt to artificially govern Europe is a mistake. Voters in the Czech Republic will choose 21 of the EP’s 751 MEPs.
There are 849 candidates in the Czech EP race, sent by 38 different groups. People in Latvia, Malta and Slovakia are also deciding who their next MEPs will be today as well.
Europeans will have to wait for the final results of the elections until Sunday night, as most Member States will not elect their MEPs until Sunday. Results will start be announced at 11 PM Sunday.
