European elections in Germany 2004

The 2004 European elections in Germany took place on June 13, 2004. It was carried out in the course of the EU- wide European elections in 2004 , with 99 of the 785 seats in the European Parliament in Germany . In addition to the six parties represented in the Bundestag ( SPD , CDU , CSU , GRÜNE , FDP and PDS ), 18 other parties and other political associations competed in the election . The polling stations were open between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Election campaign

In the election campaign , the question of whether Turkey should be a member of the European Union or not was an important campaign issue . The Union parties (especially the CSU) spoke out against membership and instead in favor of the so-called “privileged partnership”. The SPD, PDS and Greens advocated full membership for Turkey soon. The FDP referred to the Copenhagen criteria as the sole conditions for membership.

Electoral system

Depending on the party, the election took place via a federal list or via state lists; the CDU / CSU had national lists, the Bavarian party only competed in Bavaria, while the other 21 candidate parties (SPD, GREEN, PDS, FDP etc.) competed with federal lists.

Election result

Overall, the 2004 European elections, with a low voter turnout of 43.0%, brought heavy losses for the SPD nationwide. The Greens were able to improve the most, the FDP managed to get back into the European Parliament and the PDS was also strengthened. The Union lost less than the SPD and remained the strongest force, while the Republicans rose slightly, but clearly missed the 5% hurdle. The other parties were also relatively popular, but none of them were significant.

	number	%
Eligible voters	61 682 394
voter turnout	26 523 104	43.0
Invalid votes	739 426	2.8
Valid votes	25 783 678	97.2

Party / organization	EP Group	be right		Seats
Party / organization	EP Group	number	%	Seats
Christian Democratic Union of Germany	EPP / ED	9 412 997	36.5	40
Social Democratic Party of Germany	SPE	5,547,971	21.5	23
Alliance 90 / The Greens	Green	3,079,728	11.9	13
Christian-Social Union in Bavaria	EPP / ED	2,063,900	8.0	9
Democratic Socialism Party	GUE / NGL	1 579 109	6.1	7th
Free Democratic Party	ALDE	1 565 431	6.1	7th
The Republicans		485 662	1.9
Human Environment Animal Welfare Party		331 388	1.3
The grays - gray panthers		314 402	1.2
Family party of Germany		268 468	1.0
National Democratic Party of Germany		241 743	0.9
Ecological Democratic Party		145 537	0.6
Feminist Party Women		145 312	0.6
From now on ··· Alliance for Germany List: Against immigration into the "social network"		135 015	0.5
Party of faithful Christians		98 651	0.4
Action independent candidates		70 301	0.3
German party		62 005	0.2
Christian center - for a Germany according to God's commandments		46 037	0.2
Departure for civil rights, freedom and health		43 128	0.2
German Communist Party		37 160	0.1
Bavaria Party		35 152	0.1
German Center Party - oldest party in Germany founded in 1870		26 803	0.1
Party for Social Equality, Section of the Fourth International		25 795	0.1
Civil rights movement Solidarity		21 983	0.1

Regional particularities

In Munich , with 23.3% (1999: 11.9%) of the votes cast, the Greens were ahead of the SPD for the first time, which only received 18.8% (1999: 29.1%). The CSU also lost 41.7% (1999: 48.4%), but remained the strongest force. In other large cities such as Frankfurt am Main or Berlin , the Greens overtook the SPD with 25% and 22.8% respectively. In Freiburg im Breisgau , the Greens won 36.8% of the vote, making them the strongest party.