SIEPS are organising a seminar where they will take a closer look on the turnout in the EP-elections 2019 and implication for 2019. The voter turnout of the elections in 2014 will be discussed and used as a basis to make some predictions about the turnout of the elections in May.

The upcoming elections to the European Parliament are expected to be more turbulent than previous elections. Forecasts are predicting more votes for populist parties in many countries as well as a weakening of the biggest party groups, the European Peoples’ Party (EPP) and the group of Socialists and Democrats (S&D).

What can we say about voter turnout in May, what should we expect in terms of turnout and protest votes and what could be the consequences for the functioning of the European Parliament?

At the seminar 28 March, the voter turnout of the elections in 2014 will be discussed and used as a basis to make some predictions about the turnout of the elections in May.

Hermann Schmitt and Sebastian Adrian Popa, leading researchers at the University of Mannheim, will present their findings and Sofie Blombäck, lecturer in Political Science at the Mid-Sweden University, will give a Swedish perspective on the issues. Björn Kjellström, European Parliament, will comment in the light of the European Parliament campaign This time I’m voting.

Register here no later than March 26