European Parliament election 2009 (115): Finally there

I cannot believe that we are finally there, on the 4th of June, the day when the 2009 European Parliament elections start.

I feel somewhat speechless, a little fearful and a little hopeful, a little cynical and a little euphoric. Quite happy that the pre-electoral time is over, quite exhausted from thinking about the topic for 11 months.

I hope that the results of the European elections will either be catastrophic - both politically and regarding turnout - or surprisingly positive. After almost a year of coverage, I know that they have to be a wake-up call, a fanfare that raises the European spirit from the dead, either in heavenly joy or in outraged opposition.

Ignorance has to be replaced by fascination again. Apathy has to make way for ardour.

And I know many will not share this, but if you start taking democracy seriously, even in all its frightening complexity, even in its strangely distorted European version, you enter into a fantastic world of human interaction that leaves you fascinated every day.

Yes we have to reform the Union; yes we have to make it better, with better people and more transparency, with more ambitious projects that are implemented by more ambitious generations than those at work today.

Yes, we have to rethink, redo, reform, recreate, refuse.

But this is part of the fascination, part of the reason I have been caring for these elections for so long.

I have never looked at an electoral process this consciously, and I have learned more over the course of the last year about elections than my whole studies and involvement in politics could ever tell me.

But now I am glad that we are finally there, on the 4th of June, the day when the 2009 European Parliament elections start.

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Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".

For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.