Can the European Parliament Satisfy the People? Voter Mandates and Accountability Links in the European Elections 2019

Abstract

Following second-order election (SOE) theory, European elections entail accountability problems if voter mandates address national rather than European concerns. To investigate this issue, we conducted 107 semi-structured interviews with voters on Election Day in France, Germany and Poland and develop a typology of voter mandates. We argue that the quality of accountability links between electorate and EP varies with mandate types. While some mandates reflect the concerns of SOE theory expects, most establish meaningful accountability links, with many testifying to novel forms of EU politicization.

First Order for some. How Different Forms of Politicization Motivated Voters in the 2019 European Parliamentary Election

“…As voters do not evaluate the performance and promises of MEPs, there are no meaningful accountability links between the EP and its electorate (Hix and Hagemann, 2009). This absence of meaningful voter mandates (Alt et al ., 2020) has also been described as a ‘representational gap’ (Grande and Braun, n.d., p. 12) or a failure of the ‘responsible party model’ (Marsh and Norris, 1997; Thomassen and Schmitt, 1997). In each case, EP elections cannot perform one of the central functions of democratic elections which is to hold legislature and executive accountable.…”

“…As de Wilde and Trenz (de Wilde and Trenz, 2012, p. 539) aptly observe, the equivalent on the national level would be considered ‘exceptional and, in some cases, even illegal’. Polity politicization thus entails better consequences for EU legitimacy than SOE theory, but it remains far from the democratic ideal (Alt et al ., 2020; Galpin and Trenz, 2019).…”

“…As voters do not evaluate the performance and promises of MEPs, there are no meaningful accountability links between the EP and its electorate (Hix and Hagemann, 2009). This absence of meaningful voter mandates (Alt et al, 2020) has also been described as a 'representational gap' (Grande and Braun,n. d.,p.…”

“…These voters often mainly use their vote to express dissatisfaction with the general state of affairs, without citing either specific issue areas or levels of government. Thus, we have no reason to believe that they are a phenomenon specific to European elections (see alsoAlt et al, 2020).Dorian Alt, Erik Brandes and David Nonhoff…”