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Elections to the European Parliament were held from June 10, 2004 to June 13, 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. Votes were counted as the polls closed, but results were not announced until June 13 and 14 so results from one country would not influence voters in another where polls were still open; however, the Netherlands, voting on Thursday 10, announced nearly-complete provisional results as soon as they were counted, on the evening of its election day, a move heavily criticized by the European Commission.
Approximately 343 657 800 people were eligible to vote, the second-largest democratic electorate in the world after India. It was the biggest transnational direct election in history, and the 10 new member states elected MEPs for the first time. The new Parliament consists of 732 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). Voting was in most cases by proportional voting, using the D'Hondt method for calculating the number of seats to be allocated to each party's candidate list. In Italy open lists are used. In the United Kingdom, closed lists are used in England, Wales and Scotland but the Single Transferable Vote is used in Northern Ireland.
Voting
Days | 
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Thursday
10 June
| Netherlands, United Kingdom
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Friday
11 June
| Czech Republic, Ireland
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Saturday
12 June
| Czech Republic, Italy, Latvia, Malta
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Sunday
13 June
| Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden
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Results overall show a general defeat of governing parties and an increase in representatives from eurosceptic parties. However, the balance of power in the Parliament remains similar despite the 10 new member states.
Results
At a glance
| original groupings | EPP–ED | PES | ELDR | Greens/ EFA | EUL/ NGL | UEN | EDD | others6 | total
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| before 2004 enlargement | 232 | 175 | 52 | 45 | 49 | 23 | 17 | 32 | 625
|
| after 2004 enlargement; outgoing | 295
(37.4%) | 232
(29.4%) | 67
(8.5%) | 47
(6.0%) | 55
(7.0%) | 30
(3.8%) | 18
(2.3%) | 44
(5.6%) | 788 (100%)
|
| immediately after election | 277
(37.8%) | 198
(27.0%) | 68
(9.4%) | 38
(5.2%) | 39
(5.3%) | 27
(3.7%) | 15
(2.0%) | 70
(9.6%) | 732 (100%)
|
| difference | -18
(+0.4%) | -34
(-2.4%) | +1
(+0.9%) | -9
(-0.8%) | -16
(-1.7%) | -3
(-0.1%) | -3
(-0.3%) | +26
(+4.0%) | -56
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| after grouping shuffle (20 July, first day reconvening) | 268 | 199 | 88 | 42 | 41 | 27 | 33 | 33 | 731
|
| new groupings | EPP–ED | PES | ALDE | Greens/ EFA | EUL/ NGL | UEN | ID | N.I. | total
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(source:
[1] (http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/sipade2?PUBREF=-//EP//TEXT+PRESS+BR-20040503-S+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&LEVEL=2&NAV=S)
[2] (http://www.elections2004.eu.int/system/galleries/pics/election-gallerie/hemi788.png) [3] (http://www.elections2004.eu.int/results/en/ep_732_average.png) [4] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/europe/2004/elections_2004/default.stm)
[5] (http://wwwdb.europarl.eu.int/ep6/owa/p_meps2.repartition))
Detailed results
1 Due to calculation used to determine number of seats awarded to a party, the percentage of the vote will not exactly match the number of seats
6Includes parties which belong to Non-Attached group as well as newly elected parties which have not yet been able to select their grouping. May include more than one party and seats obtained will not be directly comparable with the party results shown.
7These are final results taken from the official website [6] (http://www.elecciones.mir.es/elecjun2004/peuropeo/PEF_TOP.htm)
8These are final results taken from the official website [7] (http://www.bundeswahlleiter.de/europawahl2004/ergebnisse/bundesergebnisse/be_tabelle_99.html)
Final results are also available from the official EU website (http://www.elections2004.eu.int/ep-election/sites/en/).
New parties in the 2004 election
 Voting in the election, in the Netherlands Political group reshuffle after the 2004 election
Other elections
 a poster for the European Parliament election 2004 in Italy, showing party lists The elections coincided with legislative elections in Luxembourg and presidential elections in Lithuania. They also coincided with local and regional elections in England and Wales, Irish local elections, regional elections in Belgium, local or regional elections in most of Italy, and state parliament elections in the German state of Thuringia.
See also
External links
Results
European Election information sites
Candidates
- Belgium (http://wiki.ael.be/index.php/EuropeanElection2004CandidatesBelgium)
- Luxembourg (http://www.linux.lu/lilux/front_content.php?idcat=27)
- France (http://francepolitique.free.fr/euro20040.htm)
- Netherlands (http://www.ukomttochook.nl/index1.asp?hr=3)
- Sweden (http://ffii.se/dokument/eukandidater.html)
- UK (http://www.europecounts.org.uk/your_candidate)
- See German version of this article for the German and Austrian candidates
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![[2]](http://www.elections2004.eu.int/system/galleries/pics/election-gallerie/hemi788.png){kind=link}
![[3]](http://www.elections2004.eu.int/results/en/ep_732_average.png){kind=link}