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Survey: Apathy kept EU vote totals low

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Published: July 29, 2009 at 10:47 AM

BRUSSELS, July 29 (UPI) -- Lack of interest and trust were the main reasons for low voter turnout in the June elections of the European Parliament, a survey indicated.

About one third of the respondents -- 28 percent -- to the Eurobarometer poll said they didn't vote because they either didn't trust or weren't satisfied with politics in general, EUobserver reported from Brussels Wednesday.

In Hungary, Malta and Spain, citizens who didn't go to the polls said they weren't interested in politics, while Latvians and Austrians said they thought the elections were of little consequence, the survey said.

Only 2 percent of respondents to the survey published Tuesday said they did not know about the elections.

The election of the 736-member European Parliament occurred June 4-7 across the 27 member nations, with a 43 percent voter turnout -- down from 45 percent in the 2004 election, the EUobserver said.

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