1999 European Parliament election

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1999 European Parliament election

← 1994 10–13 June 1999 2004 →

All 626 seats to the European Parliament
314 seats needed for a majority
Turnout49.8% Decrease 7.0 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Pöttering, Hans-Gert-9757.jpg
Enrique Barón (cropped).jpg
Pat Cox, May 2002 (cropped).jpg
Leader Hans-Gert Pöttering Enrique Barón Crespo Pat Cox
Party EPP–ED PES ELDR
Leader's seat Germany Spain Munster
Last election 157, 27.7% 198, 34.9% 43, 7.6%
Seats won 233* 180* 50*
Seat change Increase76 Decrease18 Increase18
Percentage 37.2% 28.8% 8.0%
Swing Increase9.5% Decrease6.1% Increase0.4%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Heidihautala.jpg
Francis Wurtz Front de Gauche 2009-03-08.jpg
Charles Pasqua.jpg
Leader Heidi Hautala Francis Wurtz Charles Pasqua
Party Greens/EFA GUE/NGL UEN
Leader's seat Finland Île-de-France France
Last election 23, 4.1% 28, 4.9% 26, 4.6%
Seats won 48 42* 30
Seat change Increase25 Increase14 Increase4
Percentage 7.7% 6.7% 4.8
Swing Increase3.6% Increase1.8% Increase0.2%


President of the European Parliament before election

José María Gil-Robles
EPP

President of the European Parliament after election

Nicole Fontaine
EPP–ED

The 1999 European Parliament election was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and Luxembourg, where voting is compulsory and where national elections were held that same day. This was the first election where Austria, Finland and Sweden voted alongside the other member states, having joined in 1995 and voted separately. The next election was held in 2004.

Final results[edit]

European Parliament election, 1999 - Final results at 20 July 1999
Group Description Chaired by MEPs
  EPP-ED Conservatives and Christian Democrats Hans-Gert Pöttering 233
  PES Social Democrats Enrique Barón Crespo 180
  ELDR Liberals and Liberal Democrats Pat Cox 50
  G–EFA Greens and Regionalists Heidi Hautala
Paul Lannoye
48
  EUL–NGL Communists and the Far left Francis Wurtz 42
  UEN National Conservatives Charles Pasqua 31
  EDD Eurosceptics Jens-Peter Bonde 16
  TGI Mixed Gianfranco Dell'Alba [it]
Francesco Speroni
18
  NI Independents and Far right none 8 Total: 626 Sources: [1] [2] Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine[3] Archived 2009-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
Seats summary
EPP–ED
37.22%
PES
28.75%
ELDR
7.99%
G–EFA
7.67%
GUE/NGL
6.71%
UEN
4.95%
TGI
2.88%
EDD
2.56%
NI
1.28%

Results by country[edit]

The national results as at 13 June 1999 are as follows:

Group
Nation
EPP PES ELDR Greens-ALE GUE-NGL UEN ID NI Total
Austria 7 ÖVP 30,7% 7 SPÖ 31,7% 2 GRÜNEN 9,3% 5 FPÖ 23,4% 21
Belgium 3 CVP 13,5%

1 PSC 5,2%
1 CSP 0,1%

3 PS 9,7%

2 SP 8,8%

3 VLD 13,6%

2 PRL 10,2%
1 FDF

3 ECOLO 8,6%

2 AGALEV 7,5%
2 VU 7,6%

2 VB 9,4% 25
Denmark 1 KF 8,5% 3 S 16,5% 5 V 23,4%

1 B 9,1%

1 SF 7,1% 1 N 7,3% 1 DF 5,8% 3 JB 16,1% 16
Finland 4 KOK 25,3%

1 SKL 2,4%

3 SDP 17,9% 4 KESK 21,3%

1 SF 6,8%

2 Vihr. 13,4% 1 Vasem. 9,1% 15
France 12 RPR 12,8%

9 UDF 9,3%

22 PS 22,0% 9 Verts 9,7% 6 PCF 6,8%

5 LO-LCR 5,2%

13 RPF 13,1% 6 CPNT 6,8% 5 FN 5,7% 87
Germany 43 CDU 39,3%

10 CSU 9,4%

33 SPD 30,7% 7 Greens 6,4% 6 PDS 5,8% 99
Greece 9 ND 36,0% 9 PASOK 32,9% 3 KKE 8,7%

2 DIKKI 6,9%
2 Synaspismos 5,2%

25
Ireland 4 FG 24,6%

1 Ind.

1 Lab 8,7% 1 Ind. 2 GP 6,7% 6 FF 38,6% 15
Italy 22 FI 25,2%

4 PPI 4,53%
2 CCD 2,6%
2 CDU 2,2%
1 UDEUR 1,6%
1 PP 0,8%
1 RI 1,1%
1 SVP 0,5%

15 DS 17,4%

2 SDI 2,2%

6 DEM 7,7%

1 PRI 0,5%

2 FdV 1,8% 4 PRC 4,3%

2 PdCI 2,0%

9 AN–PS 10,3% 7 LB 8,5%

4 LN 4,5%
1 FT 1,6%

87
Luxembourg 2 CSV 31,7% 2 LSAP 23,6% 1 DP 20,5% 1 Gréng 10,7% 6
Netherlands 9 CDA 26,9% 6 PvdA 20,1% 6 VVD19,7%

2 D66 5,8%

4 GL 11,9% 1 SP 5,0% 3 SGP-GPV-RPF 8,7% 31
Portugal 8 PSD 32,14% 12 PS 44,55% 2 CDU (PCP) 10,7% 2 PP 8,4% 25
Spain 27 PP 40,4%

1 CiU (UDC)

24 PSOE 35,9% 2 CiU (CDC)

1 CE: CC

1 CN (EA)

1 CN (PNV)
1 CE (PA)
1 BNG 1,7%

1 IU 5,9% 1 EH 1,5% 63
Sweden 5 M 20,8%

2 KD 7,6%

6 S 26,0% 3 FP 13,8%

1 C 6,0%

2 MP 9,5% 3 V 15,8% 22
United Kingdom 36 CON 33,5%

1 UUP 1,1%

29 LAB 26,3%

1 SDLP 1,8%

10 LD 11,9% 2 GPEW 5,9%

2 SNP 2,5%
2 PC 1,7%

3 UKIP 6,5% 1 DUP 1,8% 87
Total 233 180 50 48 42 31 16 26 626
Group PPE PSE ELDR Greens-ALE GUE-NGL UEN ID NI

Results by group[edit]

Communists/Far Left[edit]

The EUL/NGL group picked up one seat in the election and seven in the subsequent regrouping, raising its total from 34 to 42.

Social Democrats[edit]

The PES group did badly, losing 34 of its seats in the election and slipping to the second-biggest group.

Liberals/Liberal Democrats[edit]

The ELDR group did moderately well, picking up one seat in the election and seven in the regrouping, giving a total of 50 seats and retaining its place as the third biggest group. The European Radical Alliance (ERA) were not so fortunate and slipped badly, losing eight of its 21 members in the election.

Conservatives/Christian Democrats[edit]

The EPP group did well, picking up 23 seats in the election and nine in the regrouping, giving a total of 233 seats and overtaking the left to become the biggest group. To placate the increasingly eurosceptic British Conservatives, the group was renamed "EPP-ED" for the new Parliament, partly resurrecting the name of the former European Democrat group which was merged[1] with the EPP in 1992.

National Conservatives[edit]

The Union for Europe (UFE) group slipped during the election and lost 17 seats. The group split[2] during the regrouping, with Ireland's Fianna Fáil and Portugal's CDS/PP forming a new group called "Union for Europe of the Nations". UEN started the Fifth Parliament with 31 MEPs.

Far-Right Nationalists[edit]

No explicitly far-right group per se was in existence immediately before or after the election. All far-right MEPs that were elected sat as Independents (see below).

Greens/Regionalists[edit]

The Green Group solidified its position, picking up 11 seats in the election to give it 38 MEPs. The European Free Alliance members of the ERA joined with the Green Group to create[3] the Greens/EFA group, which started the Fifth Parliament with 48 MEPs.

Eurosceptics[edit]

The I-EN group trod water, gaining six members in the election but losing five in the regrouping, leaving it with 16 members. The group was renamed[4] "Europe of Democracies and Diversities" (EDD) for the new Parliament.

Independents[edit]

The Non-Inscrits did badly, losing 20 MEPs to the election. Disparate members (two from Belgium, five from France and eleven from Italy)[5] tried to gain Group privilege by creating a group called the "Technical Group of Independent Members" (full title "Group for the technical co-ordination of groups and the defence of independent members", abbreviated to "TGI" or "TDI"). The attempt initially succeeded, with the group allowed to start the Fifth Parliament until the legal position could be checked.[5] In September, the Constitutional Affairs Committee ruled that they lacked a coherent position ("political affinity", the basis for forming a group) and were disbanded[6] - the only group ever to be forcibly dissolved. The TGI members returned to the Non-Inscrits, increasing their number to 27.[7]

See also[edit]

Statistics[edit]

European Parliament election, 1999 - Statistics
Area European Union (EU-15) Sources
Dates
  • Thursday 10 June: Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark
  • Friday 11 June: Ireland
  • Sunday 13 June: Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Sweden
[5][6]
Seats 626 [7][8]
Candidates over 10,000 [9]
Electorate 288 million [10]
Turnout 49.8% [11]
Previous 1994 European Parliament election n/a
Next 2004 European Parliament election n/a
Election methods All proportional representation. [12]
Preference voting allowed?
  • Yes, via open list: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg (with panachage), Netherlands, Sweden.
  • Yes, via STV: Ireland, United Kingdom (NI only)
  • No: the rest
[13][14]
Cutoff?
  • 5%: France, Germany
  • 4%: Austria, Sweden
  • 3%: Greece
  • none: the rest
[15]
Seat allocation [16][17][18]
Constituency boundaries
  • Member state subdivided into multiple constituencies: Belgium (3), Ireland (4), Italy (5), United Kingdom (12)
  • Mixture: Germany (candidate lists at Länder or national level), Finland (candidate lists at electoral district or national level)
  • Member state as single constituency: the rest
[19][20][21]
Minimum voting age 18 [22][23]
European Parliament election, 1999 - Timeline
Fourth Parliament 1999 Election Regrouping Fifth Parliament
Groups Pre-elections
May 5
Change Results
June 13
Change Results
July 20
New
Groups
First
session
July 20
Break up
of TGI
Sept 13
New
Groups
New
session
Sept 13
  EPP 201 +23 224 +9 233   EPP-ED 233 +0   EPP-ED 233
  PES 214 -34 180 +0 180   PES 180 +0   PES 180
  ELDR 42 +1 43 +7 50   ELDR 50 +0   ELDR 50
  ERA 21 -8 13 -3 48   G/EFA 48 +0   G/EFA 48
  G 27 +11 38
  EUL-NGL 34 +1 35 +7 42   EUL-NGL 42 +0   EUL-NGL 42
  I-EN 15 +6 21 -5 16   EDD 16 +0   EDD 16
  NI 38 -20 18 -10 8   NI 8 +19   NI 27
  Others 0 +37 37 -19 18   TGI 18 -18
  UFE 34 -17 17 +14 31   UEN 31 -1   UEN 30
Total 626 0 626 0 626 Total 626 0 Total 626
Sources: [24][25][26][27][28][29]
European Parliament election, 1999 - Delegation at 20 July 1999
Group Description Details % MEPs
  EPP-ED Conservatives and christian democrats Germany 53, Belgium 5, Denmark 1, France 21, Ireland 5, Italy 34, Luxembourg 2, Netherlands 9, UK 37, Greece 9, Spain 29, Portugal 9, Austria 7, Finland 5, Sweden 5 37% 233
  PES Social democrats Germany 33, Belgium 5, Denmark 3, France 22, Ireland 1, Italy 17, Luxembourg 2, Netherlands 6, UK 30, Greece 9, Spain 24, Portugal 12, Austria 7, Finland 3, Sweden 6 29% 180
  ELDR Liberals and liberal democrats Belgium 5, Denmark 6, Ireland 1, Italy 7, Luxembourg 1, Netherlands 8, UK 10, Spain 3, Finland 5, Sweden 4 8% 50
  G/EFA Greens and regionalists Germany 7, Belgium 7, France 9, Ireland 2, Italy 2, Luxembourg 1, Netherlands 4, UK 6, Spain 4, Austria 2, Finland 2, Sweden 2 8% 48
  EUL/NGL Left-wing group Germany 6, Denmark 1, France 11, Italy 6, Netherlands 1, Greece 7, Spain 4, Portugal 2, Finland 1, Sweden 3 7% 42
  UEN National conservatives Denmark 1, France 13, Ireland 6, Italy 9, Portugal 2 5% 31
  NI & TGI Independents Belgium 2, France 5, Italy 12, UK 1, Spain 1, Austria 5 4% 26 (18+8)
  EDD Eurosceptics Denmark 4, France 6, Netherlands 3, UK 3 3% 16
Sources: [30] 100% 626

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.europe-politique.eu/democrates-europeens.htm[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.europe-politique.eu/rassemblement-des-democrates-europeens.htm[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.europe-politique.eu/groupe-arc-en-ciel.htm[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.europe-politique.eu/groupe-independance-democratie.htm[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b "The Week : 20-07-99(s)". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  6. ^ "The Week : 13-09-99(s)". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  7. ^ "The Week : 13-09-99(s)". www.europarl.europa.eu. Retrieved 8 April 2018.

External links[edit]