EU Election Results 2014

Counting of votes in the EU elections took place in the UK this evening, including at Eastleigh’s Fleming Park Leisure Centre and at Southampton Guildhall, as the nation eagerly awaited news of the results.

Of particular interest in the UK and locally, was whether UKIP had managed to translate their success in the opinion polls into success at the ballot box and whether the Lib Dems will manage to retain any MEP’s.

Polls closed across Europe at 10pm UK time and the first results were expected soon after that.

Earlier in the afternoon, Eastleigh Borough Council announced the turnout for the European elections within the Borough of Eastleigh and within the South East Region as a whole,  reporting on Twitter that

The turnout for the European Elections in the Eastleigh Borough area was 38.49%.

The overall turnout for the South East Region was 36.49%

This compares to a turnout of 34.7% across the whole of the UK, in the last Euro elections of 2009.

At 9pm, the EU issued its first estimates of turnout in these elections. These were

43.11% across the EU as a whole

36% across the whole of the UK

A spokesperson for the EU said;

“The long-term trend of falling voter turn-out in the elections has been reversed”

EU Ballot papers being counted in Eastleigh.

The results for the EU elections in the Borough of Eastleigh are listed below

Members of Eastleigh UKIP were delighted to have convincingly beaten the Lib Dems and the Conservatives, reversing the disappointment they experienced in the Borough Elections on Thursday.

With the positions dramatically reversed from the Borough Count on Thursday, the disappointment was clearly felt by the Liberal Democrats, most of whom left early and didn’t wait for the official announcement.  Only their leader, Cllr Keith House remained behind, to hear the official announcement and witness UKIP’s delight.

Eastleigh UKIP celebrate their success in the Euro Elections

Speaking to Eastleigh News, a UKIP spokesperson said;

“It is clear from tonight’s results coming in from around the country that people have had enough. UKIP are making gain after gain. Tonight an Earthquake is shaking the political establishment and the aftershocks will be felt for generations to come”

In an amusing exchange on Twitter, Hedge End’s Independent Town Councillor referred to the Lib Dem’s campaign, which had suggested that the EU elections were a straight fight between the Lib Dems and UKIP.  Cllr Keith Day asked;

“Have Eastleigh Lib Dems managed to come third in a two horse race..?”

To which the Leader of Eastleigh Lib Dems replied;

“Labour 4th in that race. No surprises on the Euros. “

Meanwhile, at the count in Southampton, most of the national Press and many crews from Europe joined our man Stephen Slominski to report on the announcement of results for the South East Region. The intense media interest was also partly because the leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, was expected to be present at this count.

Ballot papers for the Southampton area were quickly sorted onto separate tables for each of the 15 parties standing in the South East Region for these EU elections.  The ballot papers were then counted.

Because a system of Proportional Representation is used, every vote counts in the EU elections.

With the initial results looking close in Southampton, a recount was required. That re-count was complete by 9:30pm, and it was obvious to all of the Journalists present who had won the ballot in the Southampton area. Reporting of that result was prohibited by a secrecy agreement, intended to stop results being announced until the last polls had closed in Europe.

One by one, the results from Eastleigh, Southampton and all the other Towns/Boroughs around the South East Region were added together, the number of seats allocated to each party calculated and the results for the South East Region readied for the official announcement.

The results for the South East Region were officially announced, at 00:40,  and were as as follows;

UKIP:  751,439  (4 MEPs)

Con:     723,571  (3  MEPs)

Lab:      342,775  (1 MEPs )

Green: 211,706  (1 MEP )

LD:        187,876  (1 MEP )

The 10 MEP’s selected to represent us here in the South East Region were;

Nigel Farage (UKIP)

Janice Atkinson (UKIP)

Diane James (UKIP)

Ray Finch (UKIP)

Dan Hannan (Conservative)

Nirj Deva (Conservative)

Richard Ashworth (Conservative)

Anneliese Dodds (Labour)

Keith Taylor (Green)

Catherine Bearder (Lib Dem)