Record number of voters to stay at home - poll

The European Parliament elections in June may set a record for the lowest voter turnout: Only 56 per cent of the Maltese intend to cast their vote, according to a new survey.

The preliminary results of the still unpublished Eurobarometer poll, conducted across the 27 EU member states last February, show that a record 44 per cent of Maltese eligible voters are not interested in voting in the EP elections.

Although the final turnout may be pushed higher in the coming weeks, as the main political parties shift into top gear in their respective campaigns, it will be difficult to emulate the turnout of the 2004 elections when 82 per cent cast their vote.

Five years ago Malta had the highest turnout among the 25 member states where the elections were held then, even though it was still much lower than the average turnout in a Maltese general election.

Even with a dramatic drop of 26 per cent signalled by the Eurobarometer survey, Malta would again be one of the best performers in Europe in June. Only in Luxembourg and Belgium, where voting is mandatory, is the turnout expected to be higher than Malta's.

The only other member state where voting is voluntary but where votes are cast in relatively high numbers is Denmark, with 56 per cent.

Only 34 per cent of all European eligible voters said they intended to vote in June. The least keen were the Polish at just 17 per cent, followed by Austria (21 per cent), the UK (22 per cent) and Portugal (24 per cent).

When it comes to general elections, Malta has one of the highest voting turnouts in the world. Even this, however, seems to be changing albeit at a much slower pace than in other countries. At 92.2 per cent, last year's general election turnout was the worst since 1971.