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European Parliament elections were held in
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
on 25 May 2014 to elect the 21 Greek members of the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...
. 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 James Barrett Yardley (born June 18, 1964) is an American journalist currently working in London. Yardley is a graduate of Walter Hines Page High School in Greensboro, North Carolina and received a B.A. in history from the University of North Ca ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', "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."


Participating parties

46 parties and coalitions are participating in the elections: *
Union of Centrists The Union of Centrists ( el, Ένωση Κεντρώων, Énosi Kentróon, ) is a centrist, liberal political party in Greece. The leader and founder of the party is the veteran anti-corruption activist Vassilis Leventis. It strongly supports ...
*
Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left The Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left ( el, Αντικαπιταλιστική Αριστερή Συνεργασία για την Ανατροπή, ΑΝΤ.ΑΡ.ΣΥ.Α., translit=Antikapitalistiki Aristeri Synergasia gia tin Anatropi, ANT.A ...
* OKDE * ASKE * National Unity * Koinonia * KEAN * Part of Equality, Peace and Friendship *
Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or People's Orthodox Alarm (Greek: Λαϊκός Ορθόδοξος Συναγερμός, ''Laikós Orthódoxos Synagermós''), often abbreviated to LAOS (ΛΑ.Ο.Σ.) as a pun on the Greek word for ''people'', is a Gre ...
*
Party of Greek Hunters The Party of Greek Hunters (, KEK), is a minor Greek political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar i ...
* National Dawn *
Communist Party of Greece The Communist Party of Greece ( el, Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας, ''Kommounistikó Kómma Elládas'', KKE) is a political party in Greece. Founded in 1918 as the Socialist Labour Party of Greece and adopted its curre ...
*
The River The River may refer to: Films * ''The River'' (1929 film), an American film by Frank Borzage * ''The River'' (1933 film), a Czech film by Josef Rovenský * ''The River'' (1938 film), an American film by Pare Lorentz * ''The River'' (1951 fi ...
( el, Το Ποτάμι, To Potami) * PAEKE * : (incl.
Drassi Drassi (, "Action") was a liberal political party in Greece. The party was founded in 2009 by Stefanos Manos and was led by former New Democracy member Theodoros Skylakakis. The party had no representation in the Hellenic Parliament or Europe ...
, Recreate Greece) *
Golden Dawn Golden Dawn or The Golden Dawn may refer to: Organizations * Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a nineteenth century magical order based in Britain ** The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc., a modern revival founded in 1977 ** Open Source ...
* EEK * Lefko *
Greek Ecologists The Greek Ecologists ( el, Έλληνες Οικολόγοι, translit=Ellines Ιkoloyi) (previously Union of Ecologists, el, Ένωση Οικολόγων, translit=Enosi Ιkoloyon) is a Greek "fringe" and "bizarre ecological party". The party' ...
* E.PA.M *
OAKKE The Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece ( el, Οργάνωση για την Ανασυγκρότηση του Κομουνιστικού Κόμματος Ελλάδας (ΟΑΚΚΕ), ''Orgánosi yia tin Anasigkrót ...
* Freedom * Democratic Left * National Front *
Olive Tree The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ' ...
: (incl.
PASOK The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
,
Agreement for the New Greece Agreement for the New Greece ( gr, Συμφωνία για τη Νέα Ελλάδα) is a social-democratic political party in Greece, established on 15 April 2013. It was formed by former Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) health minister A ...
,
Dynamic Greece Dynamic Greece ( el, Δυναμική Ελλάδα) is a citizens movement founded in 2012. Dynamic Greece is part of the Olive Tree electoral alliance formed to contest the 2014 European election. References External links * {{Greek politic ...
, ) *
Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...
*
People's Resistance The People's Resistance – Left Anti-imperialist Cooperation ( el, Λαϊκή Αντίσταση – Αριστερή Αντιιμπεριαλιστική Συνεργασία (Λ.Α. – Α.Α.Σ.), ''Laiki Antistasi – Aristeri Antiimperialist ...
*
New Democracy New Democracy, or the New Democratic Revolution, is a concept based on Mao Zedong's Bloc of Four Social Classes theory in post-revolutionary China which argued originally that democracy in China would take a path that was decisively distinct ...
* Kollatos * Elpida Politias * Youth Party * Panathinaiko Kinima *
Drachmi Greek Democratic Movement Five Stars Drachmi Greek Democratic Movement Five Stars (abbreviated as: Drachma Five Star) was a Greek eurosceptic political party established on May 1, 2013 by Theodore Katsanevas (1947-2021), a one-time member of PASOK and son-in-law of Andreas Papandreou ...
*
Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens ( el, Οικολόγοι Πράσινοι (ΟΠ), ', OP) are a Greek green political party. They are a member of the European Green Party. History The Ecological Forum, the body that lead to the establishment of the party ...
- Pirate Party of Greece * National Hope *
Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows ...
* EL.LA.DA. * * Socialist Party *
Greek European Citizens Greek European Citizens ( el, Έλληνες Ευρωπαίοι Πολίτες) was a short-time Greek political party, founded by Jorgo Chatzimarkakis Georgios Chatzimarkakis ( el, Γεώργιος Χατζημαρκάκης; born 21 April 1966) ...
* New Greece *
Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance ( el, Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς – Προοδευτική Συμμαχία, Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás – Proodeftikí Simachía), ...
* Kinonia Axion * AKKEL * Patriotic Unity *
Independent Greeks The Independent Greeks - National Patriotic Alliance ( el, Ανεξάρτητοι Έλληνες (ΑΝΕΛ), ''Anexartitoi Ellines'', ANEL) is a national-conservative political party in Greece. The party was the junior coalition partner to the ...
Panhellenic Citizen Chariot


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. ;Notes


Results


Elected MEPs


Reactions


Reactions by press

In the press, the conservative
Kathimerini ''Kathimerini'' (Greek: Η Καθημερινή, pronounced kaθimeriˈni meaning ''The Daily'') is a daily, political and financial morning newspaper published in Athens. Its first edition was printed on September 15, 1919. and it is considered ...
newspaper said that citizens had expressed displeasure, but didn't give SYRIZA "true momentum." The SYRIZA-linked daily
I Avgi ''I Avgi'' ( el, Η Αυγή, lit="The Dawn", ) is a daily newspaper published in Athens, Greece. It is called the "Morning newspaper of the Left" and is politically affiliated with Syriza. It was first published in 1952. Manolis Glezos was fo ...
said SYRIZA's win was "historic" and a "milestone in the political history of Greece."
Eleftherotypia ''Eleftherotypia'' ( el, Ελευθεροτυπία, lit=freedom of the press) was a daily national newspaper published in Athens, Greece. Published since 21 July 1975, it was the first newspaper to appear after the fall of the Regime of the ...
criticised the government for trying to downplay SYRIZA's win, and said the result showed voters want "radical policy change." Left-leaning
Efimerida ton Syntakton Efimerida ton Syntakton ( el, Η Εφημερίδα των Συντακτών, lit="Newspaper of the Editors") is the name of a Greek cooperative daily newspaper. History The newspaper was first published in 2012 by former workers of the defunct ...
said the big loser was the government, and criticised Prime Minister
Antonis Samaras Antonis Samaras ( el, Αντώνης Σαμαράς, ; born 23 May 1951) is a Greek politician who served as 14th Prime Minister of Greece from 2012 to 2015. A member of the New Democracy party, he was its president from 2009 until 2015. Samara ...
for being more critical of
SYRIZA The Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance ( el, Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς – Προοδευτική Συμμαχία, Synaspismós Rizospastikís Aristerás – Proodeftikí Simachía), ...
than
Golden Dawn Golden Dawn or The Golden Dawn may refer to: Organizations * Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a nineteenth century magical order based in Britain ** The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc., a modern revival founded in 1977 ** Open Source ...
.
Ethnos Ethnos (from el, ἔθνος, link=no, lit=nation) may refer to: *Ethnic group * ''Ethnos'' (newspaper), Greek weekly *''Ethnos'', fantasy strategy board game by CMON Limited CMON Limited, formerly known as CoolMiniOrNot is a publicly listed mini ...
said all parties were equally punished by the vote.


Reactions by politicians

Following his party's victory, SYRIZA leader
Alexis Tsipras Alexis Tsipras ( el, Αλέξης Τσίπρας, ; born 28 July 1974) is a Greek politician serving as Leader of the Official Opposition since 2019. He served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2015 to 2019. Tsipras has led the Coalition of t ...
called for snap elections to be called "as soon as possible." 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. 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, particularly warning against water privatisation. On 26 May, the day after the election, Tsipras met with President
Karolos Papoulias Karolos Papoulias ( el, Κάρολος Παπούλιας ; 4 June 1929 – 26 December 2021) was a Greek politician who served as the president of Greece from 2005 to 2015. A member of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), he previousl ...
about the potential to hold new elections. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras ( ND) insisted the vote was not a cause for snap elections. 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." High-ranking ND officials held a meeting on 3 June to discuss how to woo back voters who had left the party, but were unable to come to a conclusion.
Evangelos Venizelos Evangelos Venizelos (, ; born 1 January 1957) is a Greek academic and politician who was Deputy Prime Minister of Greece and Minister for Foreign Affairs from 25 June 2013 to 27 January 2015. Previously, he was Deputy Prime Minister and Ministe ...
, leader of junior coalition party
PASOK The Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( el, Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα, Panellínio Sosialistikó Kínima, ), known mostly by its acronym PASOK, (; , ) is a social-democratic political party in Greece. Until 2012, it ...
, came under fire from several MPs of his own party, who called on him to quit as leader following PASOK's mediocre result. In an editorial in
Ta Nea ''Ta Nea'' ( el, Τα Νέα, italic=yes; Translation: ''The News'') is a daily newspaper published in Athens. It was owned by Lambrakis Press Group (DOL), which also published the newspaper '' To Vima''. The assets of DOL were acquired in 2017 ...
, which criticised Venizelos' strategy, PASOK MP Costas Skandalidis said "nobody has the legitimacy to decide the fate of a historic party on his own." Skandalidis also urged Venizelos to develop closer contacts with SYRIZA. Venizelos hit back at his intra-party critics, calling them "fifth columnists" who were trying to "consciously undermine" him. DIMAR leader Fotis Kouvelis announced on 28 May that he would offer his resignation as leader of his party, due to its poor result. However, DIMAR's central committee rejected his resignation. DIMAR and SYRIZA eyed closer co-operation following the vote, although a significant minority of DIMAR MPs support co-operating with PASOK instead. DIMAR decided to choose its political direction at a party conference, scheduled to be held 12–14 September 2014. Until then it was agreed Kouvelis would stay on as leader.
Panos Kammenos Panagiotis "Panos" Kammenos ( el, Παναγιώτης "Πάνος" Καμμένος, ; born 12 May 1965) is a Greek politician and the founder of the right-wing party " Independent Greeks", which formed the governing coalition of the Hellenic P ...
, leader of ANEL, also called a party conference due to his party's poor result, although he did not offer his resignation. Instead, Kammenos planned to discuss the possibility of co-operating with other right-wing anti-austerity groups, and offered invitations to several such parties to participate in ANEL's congress. Two ANEL MPs left the party after the election, with one saying the party had "lost its direction."


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. Key chances included having Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras replaced with former prime-ministerial adviser
Gikas Hardouvelis Gikas Hardouvelis ( el, Γκίκας Χαρδούβελης ; born 8 October 1955) is a Greek economist and Professor of Finance, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Greece, and a former Minister of Finance of Greece. He re ...
, and ND MP
Argyris Dinopoulos Argyris ( el, Αργύρης) is a Greek surname, which means silver. Notable people with the surname include: * Angelos Argyris (born 1994), Greek footballer * Chris Argyris * Giannis Argyris * John Argyris See also *''Argyris'', a synonym of th ...
replacing
Yiannis Michelakis Yannis, Yiannis, or Giannis (Γιάννης) is a common Greece, Greek given name, a variant of ''John (given name), John'' (Hebrew) meaning "God is gracious." In formal Greek (e.g. all government documents and birth certificates) the name exists on ...
as Interior Minister. Ex- LAOS MP
Adonis Georgiadis Spyridon-Adonis Georgiadis ( el, Σπυρίδων-Άδωνις Γεωργιάδης; born 6 November 1972), better known as Adonis Georgiadis, is a Greek right-wing populist politician, telemarketer and publisher. A former member of the Popular ...
was replaced as Health Minister by
Makis Voridis Mavroudis (Makis) Voridis ( el, Μαυρουδής (Μάκης) Χρήστου Βορίδης) (born 23 August 1964) is a Greek politician and lawyer. His previous and current involvement with far-right rhetoric and past association with dictato ...
, a fellow ex-LAOS member. Changes were also made to the Education Minister, Public Order Minister, Development Minister, Agricultural Development Minister, and government spokesperson. Makis Vordis' appointment to the cabinet was a subject of controversy, with the
Anti-Defamation League The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is an international Jewish non-governmental organization based in the United States specializing in civil rights law. It was founded in late Septe ...
objecting to his appointment. The ADL claimed his appointment was at odds with the Prime Minister's stance on Golden Dawn. In the 1980s Vordis led the National Political Union, a youth group founded by ex-dictator
Georgios Papadopoulos Geórgios Papadopoulos (; el, Γεώργιος Παπαδόπουλος ; 5 May 1919 – 27 June 1999) was a Greek military officer and political leader who ruled Greece as a military dictator from 1967 to 1973. He joined the Royal Hellenic ...
from inside prison, before getting kicked out for engaging in extremist acts. In the 1990s Vordis founded the
Hellenic Front The Hellenic Front ( el, Ελληνικό Μέτωπο) was a Greek political party with an ultranationalist platform, founded in 1994. Its declared ''raison d'être'' was to raise national conscience and inspire freedom, creativity, and develo ...
, a party with close links to the National Front in France.
Sofia Voultepsi Sofia Voultepsi ( el, Σοφία Βούλτεψη) is a Greek journalist, politician and a member of the Hellenic Parliament for New Democracy. She has been the Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and the government spokesperson of Greece. She ...
, the newly appointed government spokesperson, was also considered a controversial choice. 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." The new cabinet was sworn in on 10 June.


References


External links


Official results
at the Ministry of Internal Affairs {{Greek elections
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wit ...
European Parliament elections in Greece 2014 in Greek politics
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...