The provincial deputy Pablo Farías for the Socialist Party, former president of the Chamber of Deputies of Santa Fe during the period 2021-2023, is the only Argentine who will be part of the Electoral Mission for the 2024 European Elections of the Electoral Transparency organization, of which He will participate along with 24 other people from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Lithuania and Belgium. The delegation will carry out different activities between June 6 and 9 in Brussels and Aachen (Germany), during the process that will define who will make up the European Parliament for the next five years.
– How were you selected to participate in the Electoral Mission for the European Elections?
-I was invited by Electoral Transparency, an organization committed to promoting integrity and equity in electoral processes around the world and, above all, that they are transparent; I believe that the prestige of Santa Fe was fundamental in terms of its institutional quality, the transparency of our electoral system and the speed with which the results are given, qualities that are always cited and highlighted in our country every time we have elections in the province. Beyond my knowledge as a lawyer and politician, having been Minister of Government and State Reform, during the administration of Miguel Lifschitz, gave me great experience, since the Secretariat of the Electoral Court was under the orbit of the Ministry.
– What tasks will you perform during the Mission?
-The center of the activities will be the capital of Belgium, there the members of the delegation will have a very intense agenda, we will participate in academic sessions at the Free University of Brussels, in which topics such as the sociopolitical context of these elections, the Belgium’s political and electoral system and potential threats to electoral integrity, such as disinformation and generative artificial intelligence; In addition, we will visit the European Parliament, we will hold meetings with Belgian and other political parties, and on Sunday we will attend voting centers located in the city of Aachen, in Germany, as election observers.
– What does it mean to you to be the only Argentine who will participate in the Mission of the Electoral Transparency organization in the elections for the European Parliament?
-The truth is that it is a great opportunity, given that it is a transnational election that takes place in the 27 states that make up the European Union, there are around 373 million voters who will elect the representatives of their countries. Being able to learn directly about the electoral process, with its large volume, is totally enriching, as well as the exchange with the other members of the delegation, who come from Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Lithuania and Belgium, with very diverse experiences. , which has great value.
European elections 2024
Every five years, the citizens of the countries of the European Union (EU) elect, through direct voting, their representatives as deputies to the European Parliament. These are 720 parliamentarians who until 2029 will be part of this important forum for political debate and decision-making at the EU level.
Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Credit: Yves Herman/Reuters The number of MEPs elected by each country is agreed before each election and is based on the principle of “decreasing proportionality”, according to which each parliamentarian from a large country represents more people than an MEP from a small country. The minimum number of MEPs per country is six and the maximum is 96.
The management of elections depends on each country, but there are common principles that must be applied, among which are that elections must be held for four days, from Thursday to Sunday; The number of MEPs elected from a political party is proportional to the number of votes it receives; EU citizens residing in another EU state can vote and stand in elections in the country of residence.
