The Arduous Way Towards a Uniform Electoral System for the European Parliament

Abstract

This chapter deals with the European Parliament’s (EP’s) initiative of November 2015 towards introducing a uniform electoral system for EP elections. It recalls functions of elections in democratic political systems, identifies major weaknesses of previous EP elections and explains major innovations (the added value) of the new proposal (especially a more prominent role for parties at European level; greater equality of voters; institutionalisation of the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ procedure). Finally, it discusses the chances for a successful implementation of new rules for the 2019 elections and concludes with a pessimistic outlook.