How representative will the European elections be?

http://ec.europa.eu/avservices/video/video_prod_en.cfm?type=details&prodi...

On 4-7 June 2009 Europe goes to vote for a new European Parliament. Women represent half of the electorate, but will this be reflected by the number of seats they take up in the new Parliament? How representative will the European Elections be? It's your choice!
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/elections2009/default.htm?language=en

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• EUtube
• EU
• 50/50
• European
• Commission
• Parliament
• elections
• representative
• democracy
• women
• gender
• balance

[renjida19]

Long live EU!

[peppeddu]

While gender equality is important, people must NOT vote for women only because they are women.

The Italian party (Forza Italia) is proposing several women that they have little or no credentials besides appearing in some beauty contest TV show in Italy and being personal "friends" of the prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. (the guy who seems to have had a questionable relationship with an underage girl)

[Nateanated]

We have free speech so it's ok to have movies like this. But the media keeps saying women are being oppressed I'm kinda tired of it. We are getting near to oppressing men.

[AnMalDinF]

when there are votting more than 50%of the population then elections are democratic but when there are less than 25%, then there is smth wrong, for example in poland.

[Arbitrary242]

You are a great man :D

[almanulinux]

In a true democracy this video would never be produced or presented. This is a video obviously trying to force people into an idea, instead of giving information. It is pure propaganda and against the true principles of a democracy.

[Baal1985]

It doesnt matter if you like or dislike EU, but if you do not vote you will be overruled by the ones who did vote. That's democracy either you vote and get particular might or the entire might will overwhelm you. People are dying for getting the right to vote, by not voting you are a mocking the people who are figthing for this right. You arrogantly reject. You're an abomination. You live in a democracy --> VOTE!

[socrate76]

4. Since when the word "Empire" has a negative meaning? Second, empires are ruled by en ereditary emperor (e.g. Japan), it's not the case here for the EU.

The EU Army makes sense. EU as a global economical player needs a single, unified and coherent forein diplomacy (EU foreign minister). In turn, the foreign affairs needs an armed hand at hand, since all the other players on the global table have one.

EU cannot be a strong entity without a strong common independent defence. That's why

[socrate76]

3. You do not quote any poll in particular. Generalisations are not facts. EUbarometer is one of the most reliable sources for trends measured over years in all member states about the Union. I suggest you study that first.

You cannot build a durable political project based on short-sighted polls. What chaos wold be if a country would enter now, exit next year, join two years later and so forth.

[socrate76]

2. A condition to join EU is to be a democracy. Thus, the decision to join EU was democratic, either via referendums on accession, or via the national parliament which approved the "contract" to "join the club". Upon joining the "club", a known feature of the "club" is the Parliament. Many countries had to modify their constitution to allow the accession, and those were referendums.

Over the time many other referendums and democratic votes in parliament confirmed the various EU treaties.

[socrate76]

1. If all MEP's would be elected by 38,000, EU Parliament will have 13,000 MEPs. If one MEP will be elected by every 628,000 , Luxembourg will have no MEP (population is 491K). This is why the numbers of MEP was allocated during the negotiations for Nice Treaty; negotiated by the democratically elected heads of all member states, so it is the result of a democratic process that found a balance of representation between the large number of small countries and the few number of large countries.

[lordTOM87]

I belive in democracy and free choice. How is there a free choice, if there MUST be 50% man and 50% women regardless of the voters choice ?