The Profile of the Romanian Voter in European Elections

Abstract

A European voter is a person who has their own political, social, and cultural background, while sharing a main goal with other Europeans: preserving democracy and the values and benefits that it entails. With more than 400 million people eligible to vote the result of the European elections has a great impact on European policies and national agendas. The turnout average in 2019 European elections was 50,66%, but for Romania, although it was close to average, 51.20%, it registered a significant step forward. In 2007 the Romanian people voted for the first time for the European Parliament, but only 29,22% out of the over 18 million Romanian electors cast their vote. The trend was similar until last year. What has happened in the last decade in Romania that has driven a twofold increase in turnout? Political turmoil has fueled political participation: higher turnout and protests against governmental actions. Focused on European elections, the study of the Romanian voter profile is based on the results of exit polls conducted in 2014 and 2019 in European elections held in Romania, with insight on social and political changes that have shaped the electoral behaviour of Romanians as citizens of the European Union.