Brussels, March 15th, 2019 – With only ten weeks to go to the European Parliament elections on May 23-26, the European Coalition for Israel is launching a pan-European campaign to motivate, mobilize and inform the Christian electorate to pray and vote in the upcoming elections.

“It is a tradition in our Jewish and Christian communities in Europe to pray for our governments. However, criticising our democratic institutions and not engaging in the election process which can actually bring about a change is not consistent with basic Judeo-Christian values. As responsible citizens of our nations and as members of faith communities we not only have the privilege but also a duty to vote. After following and monitoring the policies of the European Parliament in relation to Israel and European Jewry for the last seventeen years, we feel that we as an organisation have a responsibility to share our insights with a broader constituency”, ECI Director Tomas Sandell said as he was explaining the motive behind the campaign.

By engaging respected Christian leaders from across denominational lines with a message on why it is important to take part in the EU-elections, ECI hopes to break the unbiblical apathy which has crept into some parts of the faith communities.

The new Pray and Vote website will help the voters to understand the position of the different party groups in the European Parliament in relation to the issues which are central for the pro-Israel community. The voter can then determine where each party group will stand on issues relating to the security of the State of Israel and the fight against antisemitism.

“We are not making specific recommendations about which candidates one should vote for in each of the EU-member states, but we will simply quote the statements by party groups in EP debates which are relevant for our constituency. We believe this is vital information for those who want to make sure that their vote counts”, said Ruth Isaac, project coordinator and Brussels ECI representative, to further clarify the strategy behind the campaign.

In the European Parliament elections on May 23-26, 2019, the voters will determine the upcoming composition of the 705 member strong parliament based in Strasbourg and Brussels. But the influence of our vote does not stop there. Based on the election results for the European Parliament, the leaders of the other main EU-institutions, including the European Commission and the European Council, and the High Representative for Security Policy and Foreign Affairs will also be appointed.

“This means that we are in fact voting on the political direction of Europe for the next five years”, Sandell concluded.

In the last elections, which took place in 2014, only 42% of the eligible voters took part. By mobilizing the Christian vote, ECI hopes that the percentage will be higher this year and that we will indeed be turning back the dark forces of Jew hatred, antisemitism and of prejudice against the Jewish state, which prevail in Europe today.

Please see: https://ec4i.org/prayandvote2019/