MEPs back EU elections voting dates for 2019

By Hajer M'tiri

PARIS (AA) - The European Parliament on Wednesday voted to hold the next European elections on May 23-26, 2019.

MEPs backed the European Council proposal by 492 votes to 14, with 24 abstentions, according to an EP statement.

"The next elections to the European Parliament will be held on 23-26 May 2019. The time is short. The citizens of the European Union will come together to elect and engage with the European Parliament already for the ninth time," said Parliament’s rapporteur Danuta Hubner.

After consulting the European Parliament, "the Council is expected to finalise the procedure before the end of June 2018, to give EU countries sufficient time to organise next year’s European elections."

According to the EP’s website, based on the 1976 Electoral Act, the 2019 EU elections were supposed to take place between June 6 and 9.

However, provided that the Council acts unanimously, it has the right to propose new dates within a certain timeframe, after first having consulted MEPs.