European Parliament election, 2014 (Greece)

European Parliament election in Greece, 2014
Greece
25 May 2014
All 21 Greek seats to the European Parliament
Turnout 59.97%[1]
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Alexis Tsipras Antonis Samaras Nikolaos Michaloliakos
Party SYRIZA ND ΧΑ
Alliance EUL–NGL EPP NI
Leader since 9 February 2008 30 November 2009 1993
Last election 1 seat 8 seats 0 seats
Seats won 6 5 3
Seat change Increase5 Decrease3 Increase3
Popular vote 1,516,637 1,295,967 536,409
Percentage 26.58 22.71 9.4
Swing Increase 21.88% Decrease 10.59% Increase 8.94%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Evangelos Venizelos Stavros Theodorakis Dimitris Koutsoumpas
Party ELIA Potami KKE
Alliance S&D S&D NI
Leader since 18 March 2012 18 March 2012 14 April 2013
Last election 8 seats New Party 2 seats
Seats won 2 2 2
Seat change Decrease6 Increase2 Steady
Popular vote 457,573 376,629 347,467
Percentage 8.02 6.6 6.09
Swing Decrease 28.63% - Decrease 2.26%
  Seventh party
 
Leader Panos Kammenos
Party ANEL
Alliance ECR
Leader since 24 February 2012
Last election New Party
Seats won 1
Seat change Increase1
Popular vote 197,536
Percentage 3.46
Swing -
Leader of Largest Party before election

Evangelos Venizelos
PASOK

 Subsequent Leader of Largest Party

Alexis Tsipras
SYRIZA

The 2014 European Parliament election in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament took place on 25 May 2014, coinciding with local elections.[2] The number of seats allocated to Greece declined from 22 to 21, as a result of the 2013 reapportionment of seats in the European Parliament.

According to Jim Yardley of The New York Times, "the vote has become a de facto referendum on the governing coalition and a test of whether ordinary citizens believe the government’s assertion that the country is finally on the upswing."[3]

Participating parties

46 parties and coalitions are participating in the elections:[4]

Results

Summary of the 25 May 2014 European Parliament election results in Greece
Party EP Group Vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Elect. +/−
Coalition of the Radical Left EUL–NGL 1,518,608 26.57 +21.87 6 +5
New Democracy EPP 1,298,713 22.72 −9.57 5 −3
Golden Dawn NI 536,910 9.39 +8.93 3 +3
Olive Tree[lower-alpha 1] S&D 458,403 8.02 −28.62 2 −6
The River S&D 377,438 6.60 New 2 New
Communist Party of Greece NI 349,255 6.11 −2.24 2 ±0
Independent Greeks ECR 197,701 3.46 New 1 New
Popular Orthodox Rally EFD 154,027 2.69 −4.45 0 −2
Greek European Citizens N/A 82,350 1.40 New 0 New
Democratic Left S&D 68,873 1.20 New 0 New
Union for the Homeland and the People N/A 59,341 1.04 New 0 New
Party of Greek Hunters N/A 57,014 1.00 −0.27 0 ±0
Bridges (Drassi−Recreate Greece) ALDE 51,749 0.91 New 0 New
Ecologist Greens-Pirate Party of Greece Greens–EFA 51,673 0.90 −2.59 0 −1
United Popular Front N/A 49,376 0.86 New 0 New
Party of Friendship, Equality and Peace N/A 42,627 0.75 New 0 New
Panathinaikos Movement N/A 42,230 0.74 New 0 New
Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left N/A 41,307 0.72 +0.29 0 ±0
Union of Centrists N/A 36,879 0.65 +0.27 0 ±0
Society – Political Party of the Successors of Kapodistrias N/A 34,487 0.60 New 0 New
Agricultural Party of Greece N/A 32,366 0.57 New 0 New
Greens N/A 28,460 0.50 New 0 New
Society of Values N/A 20,888 0.37 New 0 New
National Unity Association N/A 17,123 0.30 New 0 New
Plan B N/A 11,346 0.20 New 0 New
Socialist Party N/A 11,078 0.19 New 0 New
Marxist–Leninist Communist Party of Greece N/A 10,787 0.19 −0.07 0 ±0
Kollatos − Independent Political Movement N/A 8,993 0.16 New 0 New
Popular Unions of Bipartisan Social Groups N/A 8,892 0.16 −0.05 0 ±0
National Front N/A 8,799 0.15 New 0 New
Drachmi N/A 8,792 0.15 New 0 New
Hope for the State N/A 6,787 0.12 New 0 New
Rainbow Greens–EFA 5,759 0.10 +0.01 0 ±0
Greek Ecologists N/A 5,583 0.10 −0.51 0 ±0
Patriotic Union − Greek Popular Rally N/A 4,738 0.08 New 0 New
Workers Revolutionary Party N/A 4,516 0.08 −0.04 0 ±0
Fighting Socialist Party of Greece N/A 3,640 0.06 −0.05 0 ±0
Organisation of Internationalist Communists of Greece N/A 3,052 0.05 New 0 New
Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece N/A 2.860 0.05 New 0 New
National Resistance Movement N/A 2,527 0.04 New 0 New
National Dawn N/A 311 New 0 New
Panagrarian Labour Movement of Greece N/A 202 New 0 New
Liberty N/A 12 New 0 New
Total 5,716,472100.00 21 −1
Valid votes 5,716,472 96.20 −1.26
Invalid / blank votes 225,724 3.80 +1.26
Votes cast / turnout 5,942,196 59.97 +7.34
Abstentions 3,965,799 40.03 −7.34
Registered voters 9,907,995
Source: Ministry of the Interior
Notes
  1. ↑ The results of the Olive Tree are compared with the 2009 result of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement.
Popular vote
SYRIZA
  
 26.57%
ND
  
 22.72%
XA
  
 9.39%
ELIA
  
 8.02%
POTAMI
  
 6.60%
KKE
  
 6.11%
ANEL
  
 3.46%
LAOS
  
 2.69%
EEP
  
 1.40%
DIMAR
  
 1.20%
EPL
  
 1.04%
KEK
  
 1.00%
GEFYRES
  
 0.91%
OP - PPGR
  
 0.90%
Others
  
 7.95%

Elected MEPs

Party Parliamentary Group Names
Coalition of the Radical Left EUL–NGL Manolis Glezos, Sofia Sakorafa, Dimitris Papadimoulis, Georgios Katrougalos, Konstantina Kouneva, Konstantinos Chrysogonos
New Democracy EPP Maria Spyraki, Manolis Kefalogiannis, Eliza Vozemberg, Giorgos Kyrtsos, Thodoris Zagorakis
Golden Dawn Eleftherios Synadinos, Lambros Foundoulis, Georgios Epitideios
Olive Tree S&D Eva Kaili, Nikos Androulakis
The River S&D Giorgos Grammatikakis, Miltiadis Kyrkos
Communist Party of Greece Konstantinos Papadakis, Sotiris Zarianopoulos
Independent Greeks Notis Marias

Opinion polling

Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. The lead column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the two parties with the highest figures. Poll results use the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. However, if such date is unknown, the date of publication will be given instead.

Date Polling Firm Elia ND KKE SYRIZA XA DIMAR ANEL Potami Others Lead
25 May 2014 Election Results 8.0 22.7 6.1 26.6 9.4 1.2 3.5 6.6 15.9 3.9
24 May MRB[lower-alpha 1] 7.0 25.6 5.9 29.0 9.2 2.6 3.6 8.1 9.1 3.4
20–23 May GPO[lower-alpha 1] 7.9 25.0 6.3 26.1 9.6 2.8 3.9 7.9 10.5 1.1
22 May Metron Analysis 8.2 26.5 4.0 30.6 8.5 2.5 3.5 8.6 7.6 4.1
20–22 May Marc[lower-alpha 1] 6.4 24.1 6.3 28.2 10.0 2.7 4.6 6.9 10.9 4.1
20–22 May Palmos Analysis 5.9 26.3 4.5 30.8 8.8 2.5 4.0 7.8 9.5 4.5
19–22 May Alco 6.6 25.8 6.0 30.0 9.6 2.2 4.1 7.2 8.6 4.2
19–22 May Public Issue 8.5 27.5 6.5 30.0 8.0 2.5 3.0 6.5 7.2 2.5
19–21 May RASS[lower-alpha 1] 6.1 25.4 6.9 28.5 10.3 1.7 4.3 9.1 7.8 3.1
19–21 May Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 7.5 24.5 6.5 27.5 9.5 2.5 4.5 7.5 9.0 3.0
18 May Kapa Research[lower-alpha 1] 6.7 24.6 6.9 29.7 9.4 1.5 4.3 8.8 7.9 5.1
14–15 May E-Voice[lower-alpha 1] 8.6 27.1 8.3 26.0 7.3 1.9 4.2 7.4 9.3 1.1
12–15 May Palmos Analysis 6.8 25.6 5.9 31.1 7.1 3.5 4.7 7.4 7.8 5.5
14 May E-Voice[lower-alpha 1] 8.5 28.1 7.7 26.6 8.0 1.8 4.2 6.9 8.2 1.5
10–14 May Alco 6.1 26.4 6.0 28.1 8.8 2.9 5.5 8.6 7.6 1.7
9–14 May Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 8.5 24.0 7.5 26.5 9.5 2.0 4.5 8.5 9.0 2.5
9–13 May VPRC 5.0 24.0 7.0 28.0 8.0 3.0 5.0 8.0 12.0 4.0
8–12 May GPO[lower-alpha 1] 7.0 24.6 8.2 25.2 8.8 3.5 4.3 10.0 8.3 0.6
7–9 May Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 8.5 24.5 7.5 26.0 9.5 3.0 4.5 8.5 8.5 1.5
6–8 May Kapa Research[lower-alpha 1] 6.3 24.9 7.4 26.4 8.7 2.4 4.7 10.3 8.8 1.5
5–8 May E-Voice[lower-alpha 1] 8.4 27.1 7.2 25.4 7.7 2.6 4.3 9.3 8.3 1.7
2–7 May Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 8.0 23.5 7.5 25.5 10.0 3.5 4.5 8.0 9.0 2.0
29 Apr–6 May Public Issue[lower-alpha 1] 7.3 29.0 6.5 29.8 5.6 3.2 2.4 8.9 7.2 0.8
2 May MRB[lower-alpha 1] 6.3 27.0 7.4 26.2 8.5 3.4 5.2 10.1 5.9 0.8
30 Apr–2 May Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 7.5 23.5 7.0 25.5 11.5 3.5 4.5 8.0 8.5 2.0
24 Apr–1 May Palmos Analysis 5.5 24.9 4.7 29.6 9.2 2.6 3.4 9.4 10.7 4.7
29–30 Apr E-Voice[lower-alpha 1] 6.9 27.1 7.3 26.1 8.2 1.8 4.1 10.0 8.6 1.0
28–30 Apr Metron Analysis[lower-alpha 1] 5.9 28.4 6.6 27.6 6.0 2.2 5.1 10.9 7.3 0.8
23–25 Apr Alco 5.9 27.1 6.3 27.8 8.8 2.7 4.2 9.0 8.1 0.7
11–13 Apr UoM[lower-alpha 1] 5.3 24.3 7.7 24.3 6.5 1.8 3.0 17.2 10.1 0.0
8–11 Apr MRB 6.5 24.0 7.4 24.3 10.0 3.3 4.9 11.2 8.4 0.3
7–10 Apr RASS[lower-alpha 1] 5.1 27.5 6.7 27.2 7.8 2.6 4.0 13.2 5.9 0.3
8–9 Apr Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 8.5 21.5 7.5 23.5 11.5 2.5 5.0 11.5 8.0 2.0
1–8 Apr Public Issue[lower-alpha 1] 8.7 26.0 7.1 30.7 6.3 3.9 3.9 7.9 5.5 4.7
3–5 Apr GPO[lower-alpha 1] 6.7 24.0 8.2 24.9 8.6 3.4 5.0 10.8 8.2 0.9
3 Apr Kapa Research[lower-alpha 1] 5.7 25.8 7.7 26.7 9.6 2.1 5.0 10.5 6.9 0.9
1–2 Apr Kapa Research[lower-alpha 1] 6.7 26.8 7.2 24.2 8.5 2.6 4.8 11.3 7.9 2.6
1–2 Apr VPRC 5.0 25.0 7.0 27.5 11.0 2.5 6.0 7.5 8.5 2.5
27–31 Mar Marc[lower-alpha 1] 5.4 24.6 6.5 27.3 9.5 3.9 5.3 8.0 9.6 2.7
24–27 Mar Alco[lower-alpha 1] 6.4 25.1 9.0 24.6 9.6 3.2 5.2 10.9 6.0 0.5
22–27 Mar Palmos Analysis 5.6 22.6 7.5 22.7 10.0 2.8 4.7 14.5 9.6 0.1
17–18 Mar Pulse RC[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2] 8.0 21.5 6.5 24.0 12.5 2.5 4.5 12.5 8.0 2.5
10–12 Mar UoM[lower-alpha 1] 5.7 17.1 10.1 23.4 11.4 2.5 1.9 16.5 11.4 6.3
7–10 Mar E-Voice[lower-alpha 1] 8.3 20.9 6.9 22.3 7.9 2.2 4.7 9.3 17.3 1.4
4–10 Mar Public Issue[lower-alpha 1] 5.9 26.3 8.5 26.3 7.6 2.5 4.2 11.9 6.7 0.0
24 Feb–1 Mar Palmos Analysis[lower-alpha 1] 5.4 24.8 5.2 30.7 17.0 1.9 3.7 N/A 11.4 5.9
24–26 Feb Metron Analysis[lower-alpha 1] 6.9 27.7 8.2 29.7 9.6 4.6 5.7 N/A 7.6 1.9
6–10 Feb GPO[lower-alpha 1] 7.1 25.4 9.3 27.8 9.3 4.7 6.0 N/A 10.4 2.4
5 Feb Marc[lower-alpha 1] 5.7 24.9 7.3 30.9 12.4 4.3 4.4 N/A 10.1 6.0
4–5 Feb Metrisi 6.1 29.3 6.7 30.4 11.9 4.8 5.8 N/A 5.1 1.1
2014
2–11 Dec MRB[lower-alpha 1] 6.4 27.3 6.7 28.9 11.9 4.2 7.2 N/A 7.3 1.6
28–30 Nov GPO[lower-alpha 1] 7.2 25.6 7.7 26.7 10.7 4.8 7.2 N/A 10.0 1.1
2013
7 Jun 2009 Election Results 36.6 32.3 8.4 4.7 0.5 N/A N/A N/A 17.5 4.3
Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 This survey shows its poll results without disregarding those who are undecided or said they will abstain from voting (either physically or by voting blank). In order to obtain results comparable to other surveys and the official election results, the result shown in this table will be that obtained, with a simple rule of three, from disregarding undecided and/or abstaining voters from the totals offered in the survey.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pulse RC opinion polls round their data so that in the end up showing a .0 or a .5 value. This practise is maintained for these polls when disregarding undecided and/or abstaining voters from the totals so as to avoid different interpretations of the same value.

Reactions

Reactions by press

In the press, the conservative Kathimerini newspaper said that citizens had expressed displeasure, but didn't give SYRIZA "true momentum."[5] The SYRIZA-linked daily I Avgi said SYRIZA's win was "historic" and a "milestone in the political history of Greece."[5] Eleftherotypia criticized the government for trying to downplay SYRIZA's win, and said the result showed voters want "radical policy change."[5] Left-leaning Efimerida ton Syntakton said the big loser was the government, and criticized Prime Minister Antonis Samaras for being more critical of SYRIZA than Golden Dawn.[5] Ethnos said all parties were equally punished by the vote.[5]

Reactions by politicians

Following his party's victory, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras called for snap elections to be called "as soon as possible."[6][7][8] Tsipras noted that if the results were replicated in a national election, the governing ND-PASOK coalition would have only 94 seats, in contrast to the 152 seats they had at the time of the election.[6][7] SYRIZA warned that the result meant there was a disharmony between public opinion and the composition of parliament, and that the government lacked a mandate to proceed with any new austerity measures,[7] particularly warning against water privatization.[6][7] On May 26, the day after the election, Tsipras met with President Karolos Papoulias about the potential to hold new elections.[6]

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras (ND) insisted the vote was not a cause for snap elections.[7] In a televised address in the immediate aftermath of the vote, Samaras said that "those who tried to turn the EU election into a plebiscite failed."[7] High-ranking ND officials held a meeting on June 3 to discuss how to woo back voters who had left the party, but were unable to come to a conclusion.[9]

Evangelos Venizelos, leader of junior coalition party PASOK, came under fire from several MPs of his own party, who called on him to quit as leader following PASOK's mediocre result.[10][11][12][13] In an editorial in Ta Nea, which criticized Venizelos' strategy, PASOK MP Costas Skandalidis said "nobody has the legitimacy to decide the fate of a historic party on his own."[10] Skandalidis also urged Venizelos to develop closer contacts with SYRIZA.[10] Venizelos hit back at his intra-party critics, calling them "fifth columnists" who were trying to "consciously undermine" him.[12][13]

DIMAR leader Fotis Kouvelis announced on May 28 that he would offer his resignation as leader of his party, due to its poor result.[14][15] However, DIMAR's central committee rejected his resignation.[16] DIMAR and SYRIZA eyed closer cooperation following the vote,[16][17] although a significant minority of DIMAR MPs support cooperating with PASOK instead.[14][15][17] DIMAR decided to choose its political direction at a party conference, scheduled to be held September 12–14, 2014.[17] Until then it was agreed Kouvelis would stay on as leader.[17]

Panos Kammenos, leader of ANEL, also called a party conference due to his party's poor result, although he did not offer his resignation.[18] Instead, Kammenos planned to discuss the possibility of cooperating with other right-wing anti-austerity groups, and offered invitations to several such parties to participate in ANEL's congress.[18] Two ANEL MPs left the party after the election, with one saying the party had "lost its direction."[19]

Cabinet reshuffle

While Prime Minister Samaras vowed to "stay the course," he acknowledged the government must "fix injustices" and planned a "radical" cabinet reshuffle in response to the vote.[20][21][22][23] Key chances included having Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras replaced with former prime-ministerial adviser Gikas Hardouvelis, and ND MP Argyris Dinopoulos replacing Yiannis Michelakis as Interior Minister.[22][23] Ex-LAOS MP Adonis Georgiadis was replaced as Health Minister by Makis Voridis, a fellow ex-LAOS member.[22][23] Changes were also made to the Education Minister, Public Order Minister, Development Minister, Agricultural Development Minister, and government spokesperson.[22][23]

Makis Vordis' appointment to the cabinet was a subject of controversy, with the Anti-Defamation League objecting to his appointment.[24] The ADL claimed his appointment was at odds with the Prime Minister's stance on Golden Dawn.[24] In the 1980s Vordis led the National Political Union, a youth group founded by ex-dictator Georgios Papadopoulos from inside prison, before getting kicked out for engaging in extremist acts.[24] In the 1990s Vordis founded the Hellenic Front, a party with close links to the National Front in France.[24]

Sofia Voultepsi, the newly appointed government spokesperson, was also considered a controversial choice.[25] Prior to her appointment, she said the press was owned by "arms dealers, Rothschild, and bankers", and that undocumented migrants are "invaders" and "weapons in the hands of the Turks."[25]

The new cabinet was sworn in on June 10.[22][23]

References

  1. ↑ Ministry of the Interior Archived May 27, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
  2. ↑ "Local, European polls to be held on May 25 (in English)". Kathimerini. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  3. ↑ To Greeks, the Parliamentary Vote in Europe Is a Test of Their Own Direction New York Times May 22, 2014
  4. ↑ http://www.tanea.gr/news/politics/article/5115291/poioi-symmetexoyn-stis-eyrwekloges/
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Press reacts to Syriza's European election performance (in English)". Eleftherotypia. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Tsipras tells Greek president general elections should be 'as soon as possible' (in English)". Kathimerini. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "SYRIZA win in EU vote not a cause for snap elections, says Samaras (in English)". Kathimerini. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  8. ↑ "Tsipras demands snap elections (in English)". Eleftherotypia. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  9. ↑ "New Democracy ponders future strategy as Tsipras visits Brussels (in English)". Kathimerini. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 "PASOK MP questions Venizelos's ability to lead party in new direction (in English)". Kathimerini. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  11. ↑ "PASOK MP calls for Venizelos to quit as party leader (in English)". Kathimerini. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  12. 1 2 "Venizelos hits back at gripes from PASOK MPs (in English)". Kathimerini. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  13. 1 2 "PASOK MP calls for leadership contest (in English)". Kathimerini. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  14. 1 2 "Kouvelis to resign as party chief (in English)". Kathimerini. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Democratic Left leader resigns (in English)". Eleftherotypia. 28 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  16. 1 2 "Democratic Left mulls strategy as SYRIZA eyes cooperation (in English)". Kathimerini. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "DIMAR to hold conference with eye on SYRIZA (in English)". Kathimerini. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Kammenos eyes alliances with other anti-austerity parties after poor result (in English)". Kathimerini. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  19. ↑ "Anti-bailout party Independent Greeks loses second MP in a week (in English)". Kathimerini. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  20. ↑ "Samaras vows to stay the course, 'fix injustices' (in English)". Kathimerini. 29 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  21. ↑ "Cabinet reshuffle expected by Wednesday (in English)". Eleftherotypia. 3 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "Samaras radically reshuffles Cabinet (in English)". Kathimerini. 9 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Greece's new cabinet sworn in (in English)". Kathimerini. 10 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  24. 1 2 3 4 "Anti-Defamation League voices concern over Voridis appointment to cabinet (in English)". Kathimerini. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  25. 1 2 "Govt spokesperson: 'IMF lives in its own economic world' (in English)". Eleftherotypia. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
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