Slovakia's EP election turnout set for all-time low of 13%

Slovakia's EU commissioner Maros Sefcovic, campaigning for the ruling social democrats (Smer-SD), said politicians need to seriously think about how to tackle the so-called Slovak paradox. People are generally supportive of EU membership and integration, but show an unprecedented lack of interest in the EP vote.

"It is a failure across the political spectrum," Sefcovic told EUobserver, labelling the lack of interest by young voters as "particularly alarming". What is needed, he said, is communication that ordinary citizens can easily understand as well as more media coverage of EU-related themes.

Jan Oravec, heading the list of the Eurosceptic Freedom and Solidarity party (SaS), also expressed surprise over young people's lack of interest in the EU campaign. "It is their future at stake, after all."

Saturday (May 24), EP vote day, saw efforts to engage young voters through the campaign #volilisme, i.e. we have voted. It encouraged people to take a selfie photo at the polling stations and to post it together with #volilisme information on twitter and Facebook.

But Zuzana Gabrizova, journalist and EU expert, questions political parties' concern with the low turnout.

She told EUobserver that they "have adjusted to the existing reality of low interest in EU affairs, rather than actively confronting it". They have no strong incentives – in terms of gaining money or power – to engage in increasing turnout, she said.

As a result, parties focus on their core voters, while saving money as well as effort, she noted.

The existing voting system for EU elections is also seen by analysts as an additional reason contributing to the problem.

Ruling social democrats win and lose at the same time

Unofficial results also suggest that the ruling Smer-SD party won the EP vote with 24 percent support. But it has probably lost one seat, leaving it with only four MEPs in the next legislative period.

It is "rather a disappointment", said Maros Sefcovic, who received the most preferential votes, although he is hoping for another stint in the commission. He is the outgoing commissioner in charge of inter-institutional relations and administration in the EU's executive.

Seven other parties seem to have succeeded in the elections, winning either one or two seats.

The Christian democrats (KDH) appear to be second with some 13 percent of all votes, ensuring re-election of their current MEPs, Anna Zaborska and Miroslav Mikolasik. The centre-right SDKU-DS party is also set to have two MEPs.

The Ordinary People movement (OLaNO), the Eurosceptic liberals (SaS), the conservatives (NOVA), the centre-right Most-Hid, and the SMK party, representing the Hungarian minority, each look set to have one MEP.

Parties such as SaS and NOVA have "profited from the extremely low turnout", political analyst Martin Klus told the TASR news agency. "In Lithuania, the EU vote was coupled with the presidential elections. Why don't we do the same?"