Slovaks Vote in European Parliament Election
Slovakia Holds European Parliament Elections
Slovakia is holding elections for the European Parliament (EP) with 22 parties and one alliance competing for seats in the EP. The country, with a population of approximately 5.5 million, has approximately 4.36 million voters participating in the election, which will determine the 15 MPs they will send to the EP.
Voting has begun at 07:00 local time and will continue until 22:00. The election is taking place amidst concerns over issues such as the ongoing war in Ukraine, irregular migration, and planned government reforms in the field of law. The armed attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15 has also cast a shadow over the election.
There are speculations that a right-wing formation with similar approaches to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban may be established within the AP after the election. Prime Minister Fico, who was attacked, had previously halted military aid to Ukraine, leading to comparisons with Orban’s stance.
The election marathon is not limited to Slovakia, as European Union countries are currently holding elections for the EP. With approximately 400 million voters participating across the EU, the election will determine the MPs who will serve in the European Parliament.
In Estonia, voters have the unique opportunity to cast their votes electronically, as it is the only EU country where physical ballot boxes are not used. Estonia will send 7 MPs to the European Parliament.
The most active day of the election is expected to be on June 9, when 21 Union countries will go to the polls simultaneously. However, the European Parliament elections have faced criticism from Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mariya Zaharova, who called the election process “dirty” and accused the EU of not complying with democratic principles.
Zaharova also pointed out the double standards applied by the EU, using Turkey as an example. She mentioned that Turkey has made significant progress in terms of its economy, social, and political life, yet faces challenges in its EU accession process due to alleged discrepancies in democratic principles.
Overall, the European Parliament elections are shaping up to be a significant event, with various countries participating and facing scrutiny over their democratic processes and standards.
