The Tally Room

Bulgaria joined the European Union in 2007 and conducted its first European Parliament that year when a by-election elected 18 MEPs. This will fall to 17 MEPs next weekend, with all being elected by proportional representation from a single national electorate. The 2007 result...

Estonia elects 6 MEPs, which it did for the first time in 2004. All MEPs are elected using D'Hondt proportional representation. The 2004 result was: Social Democratic Party (Party of European Socialists) - 36.8%, 3 seats Centre Party (European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party) - 17.5%,...

Lithuania first elected MEPs in 2004, when they elected 13 MEPs. They willl elect 12 in 2009, using a system of proportional representation with party lists. The 2004 election result was: Labour Party (European Democratic Party) - 30.2%, 5 seats Social Democratic Party (Party of European...

Latvia elected its first MEPs in 2004, when they elected 9 MEPs using a system of party-list proportional representation with Saint-Lague counting and a 5% threshold, with a single constituency. In 2009 they will elect 8 MEPs. Interestingly, the 5% threshold had the effect...

Finland joined the EU in 1995, first electing MEPs in a 1996 by-election. At the 1996 election and 1999 election Finland elected 16 MEPs, which fell to 14 in 2004. Finlands are elected using open-list proportional representation, where a D'Hondt count distributes seats between...

Romania first conducted a European Parliament election in November 2007, when a by-election was conducted. This followed Romania's 2007 admission into the EU along with Bulgaria. Romania elected 35 MEPs in 2007, and will elect 33 MEPs next weekend. The 2007 result was: Democratic Party...

The Netherlands is the largest of the Benelux countries - all of whom were founding members of the EU - and will elect 25 MEPs on Thursday 4 June, which is a reduction of two MEPs from 2004. The country uses the D'Hondt method,...

Greece will elect 22 MEPs next weekend by a system of party-list proportional representation using a single nationwide constituency with a 3% threshold. Greece elected 24 MEPs in 2004. These were the 2004 results: New Democracy (European People's Party) - 43.02%, 11 seats Panhellenic Socialist Movement...

Guest post from our Benelux correspondent, Justin-Paul Sammons. Like its smaller neighbour Luxembourg, Belgium will elect its EU representatives on Sunday 7 June; voting is compulsory (as it also happens to be in Luxembourg), and polls are only open from 8:00am to 1:00pm (until 3:00pm if you're...

Slovakia elected 14 MEPs  as one single national constituency  for the first time in 2004, and will elect 13 in 2009. The following was the 2004 result: Slovak Democrat and Christian Union (European People's Party) - 17.1%, 3 seats People's Party - Movement for a Democratic...