European Parliamentary Elections Bill (HL Bill 31)
A
BILL
TO
Amend the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 so as to alter the
method used in Great Britain and Gibraltar for electing members of the
European Parliament.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Repeal of section 2 of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002
Section 2 of the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2002 is repealed.
2
Voting systems in Great Britain and Gibraltar to elect members of the
European Parliament
(1)
5The system of election of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in an
electoral region other than Northern Ireland is to be a regional open list system.
(2) The Secretary of State must by regulations—
(a)
make provision for the nominations of registered parties in relation to
an election in such a region, and
(b)
10require a nomination under paragraph (a) to be accompanied by a list
of candidates numbering no more than the MEPs to be elected for the
region.
(3) The system of election must comply with the following conditions.
(4)
A vote may be cast for a candidate listed under a registered party or an
15individual candidate named on the ballot paper.
(5)
The first seat is to be allocated to the party or individual candidate with the
greatest number of votes.
(6)
The second and subsequent seats are to be allocated in the same way, except
that the number of votes given to a party to which one or more seats have
20already been allocated are to be divided by the number of seats allocated plus
one.
European Parliamentary Elections BillPage 2
(7)
In allocating the second or any subsequent seat there are to be disregarded any
votes given to—
(a)
a party to which there has already been allocated a number of seats
equal to the number of names on the party’s list of candidates, and
(b) 5an individual candidate to whom a seat has already been allocated.
(8)
Seats allocated to a party are to be filled by the persons named on the party’s
list of candidates in the order of those who have received the highest number
of votes.
(9) For the purposes of subsection (6) fractions are to be taken into account.
(10)
10In this section “registered party” means a party registered under Part 2 of the
Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
3 Citation, commencement and extent
(1) This Act may be cited as the European Parliamentary Elections Act 2012.
(2)
This Act comes into force at the end of the period of three months beginning
15with the date on which it is passed.
(3) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Gibraltar.