Spare a thought for the hapless Belgians when voting

AS Irish voters mull over who to vote for and who to punish in European and local elections on Friday, they should spare a thought for the hapless Belgian citizenry.

Voting is compulsory so the turnout is usually around 96%. Anybody failing to turn up to cast his or her ballot faces a fine that begins at e28 for a first offence and rises to a few hundred euro.

A serial offender can be struck off the register and deprived of their vote for 10 years and while this might suit those not interested in turning out to vote, it can be held against anybody looking for a public service job.