Can European Union be democratic? Participation in European Parliament’s elections

Abstract

Although the construction of a democratic system was not one of the objectives of the founding fathers of the European Union, this organization has nowadays a colegislator parliament directly elected every five years. As elections remain the primary method of participation and democratic legitimization in Europe, representatives of member states have chosen this instrument to improve the legitimacy of the European Community. More than thirty years after the first direct elections, it has become clear that this strategy has not borne fruit. Electoral abstention, already elevated in 1979, has been increasing every new scrutiny. Nevertheless, it seems to us that anxieties concerning this fact within the European Parliament and other European institutions are both exaggerated and counterproductive. This article intends to show that the abstention rate seen in European elections is neither surprising nor as worrisome as it seems if we consider the particularities of the European political system. The paper also seeks to draw some lessons from the European experience considering the future elections for the Mercosur Parliament.

Key words: European parliament, elections, participation.