In Spain it can be said that on Sunday June 9 there is electoral appointmentbut the truth is that the european elections They are not celebrated on a single day. One of the common rules for all European bloc countries is that The elections take place in a period of four days, among which different countries can choose. Each State carries out the process in its own way, according to its own legislation and its own rules. That is why each country chooses its election dates.

The vast majority of European countries European election day takes place on Sunday, but there are others who go ‘on their own’ and do it on other dates. And among all of them there are the two exceptions, Italy and the Czech Republic, which hold elections over two days, instead of just one. Both Italians and Czechs have two days to go to the polls, Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, respectively.

In Italy, European and local elections

In the Italian case, In 2024 the European elections coincide with the local elections, so Italians will go to the polls to participate in two different processes: they will elect the MEPs that they will send to Brussels, but also the mayors of their municipalities for the next legislature. Although as a general rule in Italy the elections are held, as in Spain, on a single day, on this occasion they are extended to two days. Of course, it is not the first time it has happened.

In January 2024, the Italian Council of Ministers approved a decree law so that, not only in these elections, but “throughout the entire year 2024”, voting related to electoral processes and referendums would be extended in order to “encourage broader participation” in them. Thus, this decree law provides that in Italy the European elections will be held on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9, respectively, at different times:

  • Saturday, June 8 | Voting hours: 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
  • Sunday, June 9 | Voting hours: 07:00 to 23:00

Two more days until the elections in the Czech Republic

Unlike what happens in Italy, Elections in the Czech Republic usually take place over two days, so it is normal that the Europeans are not just one day. Furthermore, they generally take place on Friday and Saturday and not on Sunday, as happens in Spain or in most European countries. In the Czech case, then, the schedules of the European elections are as follows:

  • Friday, June 7 | Voting hours: 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 8 | Voting hours: 08:00 to 14:00