EU on the ballot: starting with the Netherlands, then Ireland and the Czech Republic

It starts with the Netherlands , closes on Sunday with the Italy and 20 other member states . Kicking off the European elections 2024 were the Dutch on Thursday at 7.30 a.m. who inaugurated an election session that in four days will bring more than 370 million voters to the polls, from Lisbon to Tallinn. It is, in terms of the number of eligible voters, the second largest election in the world after the Indian federal elections. Already on Thursday evening the first exit polls on the Dutch data will be available and, in the following days, those of the other countries, but for the official polls one will have to wait until Sunday evening when the first projections on the composition of the future Eurochamber will also arrive.

After those in the Netherlands, the voters in Ireland and the Czech Republic will open on Friday 7. On Saturday 8 it will be the turn of voters in Italy , Latvia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Malta. Italy and the Czech Republic will be the only two EU nations to have citizens vote on two different days. However, the real 'election day' will be on Sunday 9, when the other 20 member states will go to the polls, bringing more than two thirds of the EU electorate to the polls.

The counting of votes will be simultaneous and will begin with the publication of the first national estimates at 18.15 on Sunday and will culminate with the first continental projections on the future composition of the Euro Chamber at 20.15 on Sunday evening. From there, an all-night European marathon will start until dawn on Monday 10, when the EU will wake up with an idea of what majorities may take shape among the 720 newly elected members.

The rules, age of voters and candidates vary from country to country. Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece and Luxembourg are the only states with compulsory voting. Estonia, on the other hand, is the only country that will allow online voting. In Austria, Belgium, Malta and Germany one can vote from the age of 16, from 17 in Greece. In all other states, the required age is 18. Candidates must be at least 25 years old in Greece and Italy, at least 23 in Romania, 21 in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania Poland, Slovakia and Cyprus, while in the others the minimum age is 18.