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When EU voters head to the polls later this week, one thing is certain: Almost none of them will be thinking of Europe when they cast their ballot.
A plethora of studies — and sky-high abstention rates — show that most of the bloc’s citizens neither understand nor care about the European Parliament vote. Because of this, they tend to vote based on domestic concerns instead of Brussels politics.
In countries like France, Germany and Spain, the election will serve as a de facto referendum on the party in power. In others, like Bulgaria and Malta, the vote is being driven more by attitudes regarding national politicians and not figures like European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who may be a big name in Brussels but is unlikely to be on the mind of the common voter.
Even in the Baltics, where the threat posed by Russia may have a big impact on the outcome of the vote, defense and security are understood through a local prism: Voters are driven by concerns over the invasion of their country and not the big picture geopolitics of the EU.
Here’s POLITICO’s overview of the domestic issues that could be decisive in this European election....
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