Voters in Britain and the Netherlands were the first Europeans to cast their ballots for the European Parliament Today, amid calls from officials in Brussels for citizens to make full use of their democratic right, dpa reported. However, turnout in the Netherlands stood at 22 per cent by mid-afternoon, while no comparable figures were yet available for Britain. The Dutch will be the first to announce their results shortly after polls close, at 9 pm local time (1900 GMT) Thursday. The decision has angered European Union officials, who fear that it might influence voting elsewhere in the 27-member bloc. Voters in the remaining 25 member states will cast their ballots between Friday and Sunday evening, when preliminary results for the entire EU will be announced. The voting in Britain and the Netherlands took place on the 20th anniversary of Poland's first free elections since World War II. The event was marked in the former Communist nation with a ceremony in Krakow attended by iconic former Solidarity union leader Lech Walesa and several EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso issued a statement in Brussels saying that the best tribute European citizens could pay to "all those who fought with courage and determination for freedom and democracy, in Poland and elsewhere," would be to make use of their democratic rights. "I ask all EU citizens: Raise your voice and cast your vote," Barroso said. European Commission officials Thursday said they expected the Dutch interior ministry to abide by EU rules and abstain from publishing the results, whether partial or complete. However, commission spokesman Johannes Laitenberger conceded that Brussels could do little to stop the Dutch media from publishing estimates or exit polls. In all, some 375 million eligible Europeans are being called to elect 736 new members of the European Union's only directly elected body. Held 30 years after the first such vote took place, this round of voting is the largest ever, involving 27 member states.
