Voters in the majority of EU states stayed at home on elections day, except for those in three eastern Mediterranean countries. Michael Jansen reports from Nicosia Voters within the European Union displayed an unprecedented degree of apathy over elections to the European parliament which were held from 10 to 13 June, except, that is, for voters in the eastern Mediterranean countries of Cyprus, Malta and Greece. Malta topped the poll at 82 per cent electoral participation. Seventy per cent of Cypriots cast ballots, as did 63 per cent of the Greek electorate. Although beset with voter apathy, Greece, a veteran EU member, achieved a higher turnout than other members because voting is obligatory. In all three countries domestic issues, and not the problems facing the European Union at this juncture (following the entry of 10 new states and disagreements over the proposed European constitution) dominated election campaigns. The Maltese and Greeks focussed on their troubled economies while Greek Cypriots voted for candidates based on their party's stand vis-�-vis UN plans to reunify the island divided since Turkey occupied the north in 1974. Voters in Malta and Greece did, however, follow the trend set in other EU countries by voting against ruling parties. Malta's opposition Labour Party won 48 per cent of the votes, securing three of the country's five seats. The ruling Nationalists garnered 41 per cent, taking the remaining two seats. The island's Green Party, Alternattiva Demokratika, gained 10 per cent, taking votes from the Nationalists, but won no seats. Labour leader Alfred Sant observed that based on election results his party was now the largest on the island. But this is not necessarily the case. Labour benefited from voters protesting against the Nationalists on the one hand and from an energetic campaign to ensure that Labour voters voted on the other. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi admitted that the vote may have reflected popular displeasure with "difficult decisions the government is taking to restructure the economy". In Greece, the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement, PASOK, which held power for 20 of the past 23 years and was defeated in a general election in March, took only 34 per cent of the votes and nine of the 24 seats. PASOK's difficulties have been exacerbated by the drive to overhaul the party initiated by its new leader, former Foreign Minister George Papandreou, who replaced stalwart candidates with new faces. New Democracy, which formed a government only three months ago and is still enjoying a political honeymoon, took 43 per cent of the votes, securing 11 seats. Seven weeks after Greek Cypriots rejected by 76 per cent the detailed plan put forward by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to reunify the island in a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, a clear majority of voters supported anti-unification parties. The right of centre Democratic Party of President Tassos Papadopoulos took 17 per cent and won one of the republic's six seats. The leftist AKEL, which normally can count on the backing of one third of the electorate, won 27.89 per cent of the votes, securing two seats with the leftist EDEK winning 10.79 per cent and missing a seat by only a handful of votes. The traditional right, which is normally backed by 40 per cent of the populace, re-asserted itself in spite of its stunning defeat in the 24 April referendum on the UN unification plan. The Democratic Rally Party took the largest percentage of votes at 28.28 per cent and two seats, while an offshoot party, for Europe, won just over 10 per cent and one seat. The broad alliance of pro-unification parties did very poorly. The turnout of Turkish Cypriots was disappointing. The internationally recognised Greek Cypriot majority republic invited Turkish Cypriot citizens living in the republic and the Turkish occupied area to register, vote and put forward candidates. But only one Turkish Cypriot, Mehmet Hassan, a professor at Istanbul University, stood as an independent. Only 503 Turkish Cypriots registered on the electoral registry, 97 of which turned out to vote. If Greek Cypriots had approved the UN unification plan, Turkish Cypriots and a majority of mainland Turkish settlers planted in the north over the past 30 years would have become citizens of a new United Cyprus Republic and EU members alongside their Greek-Cypriot neighbours, and would have had two representatives in the European parliament. But until reunification is an accomplished fact, Turkish Cypriots will have to remain outside the EU boundaries.
