Multi-Level Voting When Elections Coincide: The May 25 Elections in Belgium

The Belgian voters went to the polls on Sunday May 25. On that day they elected new regional parliaments, a new federal parliament and the Belgian members of the European Parliament. And although the campaign focused very much on the domestic (regional and federal elections), the election results for the European contest were not identical.

This paper will use the pre- and post-electoral survey conducted by the PartiRep research group to investigate how and why voters behaved differently at the European level. Three possible explanations for the ticket-splitting will be explored. In the first place we will look at the degree in which European issues have guided the voters when voting (differently) at the European level. In the second place we will check whether voters who identify more (or less) with Europe tend to vote differently for the European Parliament. And in the third place we will analyze if and to what extent Eurosceptic feelings lead to a specific European vote and whether these Eurosceptic votes went to radical and smaller parties rather than to the mainstream parties of government.