The European Parliament is an important forum for political debate and decision-making in the European Union (EU). Members of the European Parliament are directly elected by voters in all member states. The Parliament thus represents the interests of the people with regard to EU legislation and ensures that the functioning of the other EU institutions follows democratic principles.
Election of the European Parliament
Members of the European Parliament are elected every five years by universal, direct, free, equal, secret and public suffrage. Elections to the European Parliament are based on the principles of proportional representation with list nominations. Each person entitled to vote has one vote with which they can vote for a list nominated by a party or political association. Germany elects 96 Members of Parliament.