Electoral institutions and constituency service of the European Parliament's members

Abstract

The European Parliament is a unique legislature for several reasons, including one that concerns the fact that its members (MEPs) are elected under different electoral rules. This Master’s thesis examines the impact of these rules on MEPs constituency service, assuming that the latter could be not only the means of being responsive to the electorate, but of the realization of own preferences as well. Such preferences concern re-election, that, thus, makes the supranational level, on which MEPs operate, highly dependent on the national context, where fortunes of MEPs are decided. Thus, this study shows that not only electoral rules for European elections shape the behavior of MEPs, but also – those that are used for national general elections. Therefore, MEPs’ constituency service becomes a mechanism of building personal reputations among voters and intraparty reputation as well.