By IRNA,
London : Nominations closed Thursday for the next month’s elections to the European Parliament that would be held in all 27 EU states in the biggest transnational elections of its kind.
In the UK, the elections would be held on June 4, coinciding with an annual series of local council polls. But unlike British parliamentary elections, voters will elect MEPs under a proportional representation system based on 12 regions.
Britain’s share of representatives in the 785-seat parliament is also being reduced from the current 78 to 72 as a result of the enlargement of the EU since the last elections five years ago.
This week, the UK Office of the European Parliament launched a roadshow tour that would cover 10 major cities across the country, designed to boost the turnout at the elections, which fell to just 38 per cent in 2004.
The Strasbourg-based parliament is often seen having little relevance with virtual no control over EU policy areas that remain conferred to national governments.
One of the main domestic interests in the poll will be to gauge national support for the country’s main parties ahead of the forthcoming general election that is due to be held within the next 12 months.
At the last European elections, the opposition Conservatives gained 27 seats with 27 per cent of the total vote ahead of the ruling Labour Party, whose support fell back to less than 23 per cent, winning just 19 seats.
The voting system also allows strong showing for more minor parties, with the Liberal Democrats gaining 12 seats with 15 per cent of the vote, the same number as the anti-EU UKIP party achieved with 16 per cent.
The Scottish Nationalists and Green took two seats each and the Welsh nationalists one seat, but interest this year will also be on whether the extreme right-wing British National Party (BNP) can gain its first representative, having narrowly failed five years ago.