European elections in the United Kingdom in 1979

European elections in the United Kingdom in 19791984 →

Turnout: 32.3%

 %

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

48.4

31.6

12.9

1.9

0.6

4.6

Tories

Labor

Liberals ^c

SNP

plaid

Otherwise.

Remarks:

^c with Alliance

British seats in the European Parliament by political group

    

A total of 81 seats

• Socialists (Labor, SDLP): 18
• Democrats for Progress (SNP): 1
• European Democrats (Tories, UUP): 61
• non-attached (DUP): 1

The European elections in the United Kingdom in 1979 took place on June 7, 1979. It was part of the 1979 European elections , the first direct election of the European Parliament . In the UK , 81 out of 410 MEPs were elected.

Electoral system

The electoral system was set out in the European Assembly Elections Act 1978 . Of the 81 mandates, 78 in England, Wales and Scotland were awarded in single-electoral constituencies according to relative majority voting, similar to the right to vote in the British House of Commons . The three mandates for Northern Ireland were given in an electoral constituency with single transferable voting.

Election result

The UK had the lowest voter turnout of all nine EC countries at 32.3%. The clear winner was the Conservative Party (Tories) of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher , which had already won the general election five weeks earlier. Due to the majority vote, only three parties from Great Britain and three Northern Irish parties entered the European Parliament. In particular, the Liberals were unable to win a mandate despite 12.6% of the vote.

Great Britain

Political party		be right	percent	Mandates	fraction
	Conservative party	6,508,492	48.4%	60	European democrats
	Labor Party	4,253,247	31.6%	17th	Socialist faction
	Liberal party	1,690,638	12.6%	-
	Scottish National Party	247.836	1.9%	1	European democrats for progress
	Plaid Cymru	83,399	0.6%	-
	United Against the Common Market	27,506	0.2%	-
	Ecology Party	17,953	0.1%	-
	Mebyon Kernow	10.205	0.1%	-
	International Marxist Group	1,635	0.0%	-
	European Federalist Party	497	0.0%	-
	Independent	30,816	0.2%	-
Voters		12,873,852

Northern Ireland

Political party		First preferences	proportion of	Seats	fraction
	Democratic Unionist Party	170,688	29.8%	1	Non-attached
	Social Democratic and Labor Party	140,622	25.5%	1	Socialist faction
	Ulster Unionist Party	125.169	21.9%	1	European democrats
	Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	39,026	6.8%	-
	Other / independents	96,734	16.9%	-
Voters		572.239

By-election

The election in the constituency of London South-West was repeated on September 20, 1979. The Conservative Shelagh Roberts was able to defend its mandate.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fe79.htm