The national parliament elections in Monaco on Sunday were historic on multiple fronts as a single pro-monarchy alliance won all seats as turnout reached an all-time low.
The UNM alliance, which united liberal, centre-right and conservative parties, won all 24 available seats and 89.6% of the popular vote, as per final results published on Monday. The newly created centre-left and environmentalist NIM party only won 10.4% of the vote, which under Monaco’s electoral system was not enough to win any seats.
The UNM alliance was formed of all parties that contested the previous national parliament election in 2018. All oppose the country’s integration into the European Union and support the monarchy.
They sit with the European People’s Party (EPP) and liberal ALDE groups in the Parliamentary Assembly in the European Council.
Secondly, turnout dramatically collapsed in the principality, from 74.6% to only 57.3%, the lowest turnout in the country’s history since at least the Second World War. This equals 4,348 Monegasques heading to the polls, one of the smallest national parliamentary turnouts in recent history globally in absolute numbers.
Similarly to Liechtenstein, another microstate with a strong financial sector that has been critiqued as a tax haven, Monaco has historically had one of the most conservative electorates in Europe, which this week’s election result substantiates.
The parliament in Monaco remains weak, as the Prince can dissolve it at any time, provided that new elections be held within three months. The prime minister is chosen and appointed by the monarch, after consultation with the French government. He or she does not need to come from the ranks of parliamentarians.
(Tobias Gerhard Schminke EuropElects | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
