The Council of the European Union (EU) this Monday gave final approval to the scheduling of European elections for between June 6 and June 9, 2024, despite Portugal criticizing the date and announcing a strengthening of the mobility vote.
In a statement, the Swedish rotating presidency of the EU said that “the Council confirmed today that the next elections to the European Parliament will take place from 6 to 9 June 2024”.
The Swedish Presidency explains that “the dates have been confirmed following exchanges of views in the Council’s preparatory bodies”, namely at ambassadorial level, adding that “these are the dates applicable under the EU Elections Act, which provides that elections to the European Parliament are held every five years, from Thursday to Sunday, normally in the first full week of June”.
It is now up to the EU member states, in accordance with their respective legal and constitutional frameworks, to set the date, in the period from 6 to 9 June 2024, when the vote will take place in their country.
The position comes after member states decided last Wednesday at a meeting of ambassadors to the EU to set the period from 06 to 09 June 2024 for scrutiny by the European Assembly, despite Portugal’s opposition on the predetermined date.
On that day, the Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, expressed concern about the decision which is contrary to the Portuguese position, adding that Portugal would intensify the mobility vote, while the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Tiago Antunes, announced changes in the regime defended that determines the dates for the European elections.
European sources told Lusa that only national authorities can decide on exceptions such as early voting or others such as mobile voting.
In the absence of consensus on an alternative date for the period from 06 to 09 June 2024, Member States then opted for this predetermined date, based on a proposal from the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Other options were on the table, such as the end of May, but none of the proposed dates received the necessary unanimity among the 27.
June 10 is a national holiday, marking the Day of Portugal, Camões and the Portuguese Communities, and June 13 is a public holiday in Lisbon, so the Portuguese government fears a lower turnout and has tried to change the date, without success.
The last two European elections, in 2019 and 2014, were held at the end of May, after the 27 member states agreed to change the original date of the elections.
Most recently, the 1994 European elections were ‘glued’ to public holidays: they were held on the Sunday of 12 June, with Portugal Day on the Friday before and Saint Anthony’s Day in Lisbon on the following Monday.
The procedure for determining the dates of elections to the European Parliament is set out in the Elections Act of 1976, which provides that it is for the Council, acting unanimously and after consulting the European Parliament, to determine the election period.
This period is based on the first General Election, held between 07 and 10 June 1979, and since then elections have been held in the corresponding or alternate period, between a Thursday and a Sunday.
Source: DN
