Issue published: 30 April 2015

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Pravidla voleb do Evropského parlamentu v roce 2014: poměrné zastoupení v dvaceti osmi specifických národních variacích

Jakub Charvát a Jan Outlý, p. 13–38

Abstract: This study deals with European Parliament’s electoral system and its genesis.The first part describes the discussion and implementation of direct European parliamentary elections and unified electoral principles. This description explains why all European Union member states, including the United Kingdom, use an electoral system based on proportional representation. The second part of the study analyses the electoral procedures employed in the 2014 European Parliament elections in all 28 member states. It examines differences in the basic variables of proportional representation electoral systems and compares their political consequences.

Keywords: European Parliament, electoral systems, proportional representation, Member States, malapportionment, second‑order elections

Účast ve volbách do Evropského parlamentu 2014: Proč tak málo?

Michal Nový, p. 39–62

Abstract: Most of the existing literature has labelled the elections to European Parliament as second‑ordernational elections. Assuming the low level of their importance compared to first‑order elections, commentators have highlighted three distinct features: (1) weak turnout, (2) the defeat of government parties and (3) the defeat of major parties. This article addresses the assumption of low rates of electoral participation. It is emphasised that voter turnout for EP elections varies substantially across the member states, and in some of these countries, it is not considerably lower than the rate for first‑order elections. In addition, since the 1980s, European Parliament has gained some new powers, enabling this directly elected body to participate significantly in creating European law. Given these facts, we may expect that some participation determinants do not relate to the national political arena; “European factors” may also matter when it comes to people’s decisions about whether to vote in EP elections. Nevertheless, the results of the empirical analysis below show that although European factors have some impact, national determinants are far more relevant for explaining participation in EP elections. In terms of turnout, then, EP elections are still second‑order national elections rather than second‑order European elections.

Keywords: voter turnout, European Parliament elections, second‑order elections, electoral cycle, post‑communist countries

Nová výzva švédské stranické politice? Feministická strana a její voliči v evropských a národních volbách v roce 2014

Pavel Maškarinec, p. 63–89

Abstract: This article deals with the performance of the Feminist Initiative in the 2014 elections to European Parliament and Swedish Parliament (Riksdag). The method is based on an analysis of the spatial variability of electoral results and the time‑space stability of voting patterns. The final part attempts to find underlying factors to explain spatial variations in parties’ electoral results. The study analysed electoral results in 290 Swedish municipalities in order to account for geographical stability and variations in electoral support. The analysis showed that support for the Feminist Initiative in the European elections was mainly concentrated in the largest Swedish cities andtheir surrounds (with additional concentrations in several municipalities in the two northernmost counties and on the island of Gotland). Reduced voter support in the largest cities was, thus, one of the main reasons for the Feminist Initiative’s failure inthe national elections. The analysis found that the key underlying factors for spatial variations in the Feminist Initiative’s electoral support were population (city size), level of education (the proportion of women with a higher education) and whether the age profile of women was somewhat younger. Regression analyses also confirmed that the decline in support in the largest city influenced the party’s success.

Keywords: Sweden, Feminist Initiative, parliamentary elections, European parliament elections, electoral geography, electoral behavior

Sú televízne politické debaty zbytočné? Experiment pred voľbami do Európskeho parlamentu 2014

Pavol Baboš, Marek Rybář a Aneta Világi, p. 91–112

Abstract: The 2014 European Parliament election brought a few novel developments to the political life of the European Union. For the first time in history, the election took place in 28 countries and it also witnessed the lowest turnout since 1979. In many countries, extremist and anti‑EU parties won the election. The new practice of having pan‑European parties nominate the top candidates for European Commission president was intended to increase the election’s appeal and reduce the democratic deficits of the Union’s institutional set‑up. In this article, we examine the effects of a televised debate among the five leading candidates. We performed an experiment using a sample of students, including an experiment and a control group with a pre‑test/post‑test design. Almost 40 students were randomly assigned to the groups. The findings indicated three conclusions: first, the televised debate had little effect on general attitudes to the EU and European integration and feelings associated with the EU. Second, watching thedebate had an impact on opinions and feelings about the leading candidates for EC president and on views about the importance of that office. Third, the debate had an informative effect, and this was much stronger in areas where respondents admitted to having little or no knowledge in the pre‑test interview.

Keywords: television debate, electoral behaviour, European parliament, experimental methods

Euroskepticismus a euroskeptické strany ve volbách do Evropského parlamentu 2014 v ČR a na Slovensku

Petr Just, p. 113–123

Abstract: This study deals with the questions of whether and how Euroscepticism inthe Czech Republic and Slovakia influenced the 2014 European Parliament elections. It reflects on changes in the representation of Eurosceptic parties in European Parliament from the time of Czech and Slovak EU accession to the present day. This work concludes that in the case of the Czech Republic, the representation of Eurosceptic parties in European Parliament has been weakened since the 2014 elections in terms of quantity, but strengthened in terms of quality since a hard‑line Eurosceptic factionis now represented. In Slovakia, the situation has remained more or less the same over the given period.

Keywords: Czech Republic, Slovakia, euroscepticism, elections, parties, European Parliament

Paradigma voleb do Evropského parlamentu coby voleb druhého řádu a role českých think-tanků

Kryštof Kruliš, p. 125–147

Abstract: This article follows the activities of leading Czech think tanks before the European parliamentary elections in May 2014 and in the period since then. The primary research focus is on the influence of such activities on the understanding of European Parliament elections as second‑order elections. The main argument is based on the fact that European Parliament’s role has increased significantly as a result of the LisbonTreaty’s coming into force but this has not been reflected in a corresponding increase in Czech voter turnout or interest in the issues addressed by European Parliament. As such, the elections to European Parliament remain fully encapsulated within the secondary‑order elections paradigm. As an expert segment of civil society, independent think tanks can contribute to changing this situation. This study analyses the activities of the leading Czech independent think tanks Evropské hodnoty (European Values), the Association for International Affairs and Prague Twenty before and after the elections and compares their contributions to changing the said paradigm. The research is based on a series of structured interviews with the leaders of the mentioned think tanks, attendance at public events and the examination of accessible supporting documents.

Keywords: European Parliament, elections, think‑tanks

Euroskepticismus v Německu na příkladu Alternative für Deutschland

Lukáš Novotný, p. 149–162

Abstract: Eurosceptism in Germany is represented by the political party Alternativefür Deutschland (AfD). The latter has enjoyed success in the last year not only in the European Parliament elections, but also in provincial elections in Brandenburg, Thuringiaand Saxony. This article focuses on the party’s success in the elections to European Parliament, but does not neglect other choices that illustrate the overall programme and strategy of the new German political party. The aim is to analyse AfD’s most important priorities and reflect on its future development. AfD is assessed in the context of relevant theories and issues of Euroscepticism.

Keywords: Euroskeptism, Germany, Alternative für Deutschland, European Parliament, euro, Bundestag

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