After weeks of campaigning, it’s D-Day. Polling stations open at 8 a.m., Sunday June 9, for the European elections, in all municipalities in France. Some 49.5 million voters are expected to elect 81 MEPs in this one-round ballot. The results for France and most European Union countries will be known from 8 p.m. For certain countries, estimates will be revealed from 6 p.m. Follow this voting day in our livestream.
Elections across the EU. LMost countries, such as France and Germany, are organizing the vote this Sunday. Others, like the Netherlands, have already voted. In each country, estimates will be published after the closing of the last polling stations and relayed on the European Parliament website from 6:15 p.m. A first seating projection of the new hemicycle should be revealed shortly after 8 p.m.
The voting rules. To vote, you must be registered on the electoral roll. In France, voting is open to French people and EU nationals residing in the territory from the age of 18. Generally speaking, the vote is open to all European citizens, regardless of their place of residence in the EU. Some common rules govern these elections: direct universal suffrage in one round and proportional representation. A list which obtains 18% of the votes will therefore be allocated 18% of the seats allocated to its country. In France, since 2019, voters vote in a single national constituency.
Thirty-eight candidate lists in France. Parity requires, these 38 lists (a record) alternate the names of men and women and contain 81 names each. Each country is free to set an electoral threshold of maximum 5%. This is the case in France, where a list bringing together less than 5% of the votes does not collect any seats.