ABSTRACT
The first direct elections to the European Parliament were held in 1979. However, its predecessor, the Common Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community, dates back to 1951. This body was part of the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community and had nationally appointed, rather than elected, members. The first meeting of the current institution took place in 1958, when it was called the European Parliamentary Assembly; the name was changed to European Parliament in 1962. Since 1979, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have been elected through nationally organized elections every five years, based on the 1976 European Electoral Act. The elections are governed by common European rules as well as specific national provisions (EPRS Briefing (2019) 642250). According to the former, European Union (EU) citizens are entitled to vote and run for European elections in their member state of residency even if they are not nationals of that country. For example, a German living in Spain can vote and run for office in Spain. Elections are based on proportional representation and member states decide whether to use an open or closed list system or single transferable vote system. Similarly, national provisions differ in terms of election days, thresholds, voting age, number of constituencies, and compulsory voting.
