10 Elections. A history of the European Parliament at the ballot box (1979-2024) June 2024 | Page 13

Jordi Guixé
Director of the European Observatory on Memories ( EUROM ), University of Barcelona ’ s Solidarity Foundation
Representing our civil and civilly organised society is at the heart of democracy . It is the foundation of all systems of rights and freedoms and guarantees the separation of powers . Citizens have an opportunity to express themselves by taking part in elections in which candidates compete to represent the people , and regular universal suffrage reflects the will of the people . All societies are aware of this , although it can sometimes be overlooked by the powers that be or because of an extreme desire to amass power .
The aim of this publication is to take a look back at how supranational elections have unfolded across Europe , which is an interesting and necessary historical exercise . The book is the result of a new collaboration between the European Observatory on Memories ( EUROM ), led by the Solidarity Foundation of the University of Barcelona , and the European Parliament ’ s Jean Monnet House . This new volume is of high academic value and features an infor-
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