With the European Parliamentary elections taking place in a month's time, 20 percent of people in Slovakia state they will certainly cast their ballot in them. This information stems from the latest Eurobarometer from spring 2019. Slovakia is known for its very low turnout in the European elections, last time recording the lowest turnout in the EU - 13.05 percent. The latest Eurobarometer results thus indicate a rising interest in the elections. According to Dionýz Hochel, who is currently in charge of managing the European Parliaments Office in Bratislava, the probable interest in the election is almost 40 percent, when including also those who are considering taking part in the election. Hochel also pointed out that the highest interest in the elections was recorded in the age categories of 25 to 39 and 55+ years of age and among university educated people.
According to the head of the Institute of European Studies and International Relations Oľga Gyarfášová, Slovaks are persistent in their support of the EU. According to the Eurobarometer, most people in Slovakia continue to think that EU membership is a good thing (51 percent) and that Slovakia benefits from it (78 percent). Gyarfášová praises the use of environmental topics in the election campaign, yet she thinks that Slovaks are interested more in consumer protection and food safety.
The European Parliament elections will be held between May 23-26, depending on each individual country. Slovaks will vote on Saturday, May 25. The official results will be released only after the last polling stations in the EU as a whole are closed - that being in Italy at 11 p.m. on Sunday. Slovakia will be represented by 13 or 14 MEPs in the European Parliament - depending on how Brexit plays out.
