News & press releases
PES announces candidates for Presidency
Sergei Stanishev and Enrique Barón have been announced as the two candidates for the position of PES President. The vote for, and announcement of, the next President will take place at the PES Congress on 12 June 2015 in Budapest, Hungary. Both are experienced politicians at National and European levels, having had careers in both the domestic and European political spheres.
PES Study Group on Abstention meeting to discuss innovative electoral systems
Abstention and apathy are big democratic problems in Europe; creating a democratic deficit, preventing people from being heard in their political systems or from actively using their civic right. The PES has in 2014 launched a study group on abstention in order to combat this issue and find ways to encourage more people who are eligible, to vote, and potentially to extend those who are eligible. Abstention from voting is a problem in domestic elections, but is even worse at the European elections, where the EU average voter turn-out is 42.6%. This figure would be even lower were it not for the fact that in Belgium and Luxembourg voting is compulsory and turnout in those countries is almost 90%.
PES strengthens cooperation with national parties
PES holds a joint seminar with BSP on campaign management ahead of local elections in Bulgaria.
A seminar on local elections, jointly organised by PES and the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) was held over the weekend in Varna, Bulgaria. The seminar attracted a large number of prominent participants, including PES President Sergei Stanishev and PES Secretary General Achim Post, BSP leadership including Chairman Mihail Mikov, Members of Parliament, local politicians, party activists and young people. During the seminar, experts from the socialist parties in Germany, Sweden and Croatia shared their experience on making local elections and campaigns.
PES leaders meeting to take place in Madrid on February 21
The next PES leaders meeting will be held in Madrid this weekend – on February 21 (Saturday). The event, which will be hosted by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), will gather PES leaders, Prime Ministers and EU Commissioners to discuss pivotal issues such as our common fight against extremism, a particularly urgent matter since the tragic events in Paris and Denmark. Another top priority for the PES family will be a joint declaration that will outline the PES roadmap for creating more, better and fairer jobs.
PES & BSP seminar in Plovdiv
This weekend the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), jointly with the Party of European Socalists (PES), organised a three-day seminar in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Titled “Challenges to the Left in Europe and in Bulgaria in 2015”, the seminar was opened yesterday by PES President Sergei Stanishev and BSP Chairman Mihail Mikov.
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