The results of the 2024 European elections caused intense reactions and concerns among the major parties' headquarters not only in Greece but throughout Europe. The voter abstention reached alarming levels, making it the main protagonist or the "winner" of this race. Additionally, the rise of the far-right, although fragmented, is noteworthy, as are the heavy losses for the leaders of France and Germany, who traditionally guide the European Union. This new political landscape not only cannot be ignored but must be studied and evaluated immediately, repositioning the values and ideals that the European Union stands for, not allowing far-right rhetoric to find fertile ground.
Europe's response to the results was immediate. In Greece, eight parties won seats in the European Parliament, and discussions have already begun about a government reshuffle and the future of the center-left. Parties to the right of New Democracy reaped the most benefits from the protest vote, while the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) strengthened its position by attracting left-wing voters. One of the surprises of the elections was the rise of the "Voice of Reason" party led by Aphrodite Latinopoulou. France is heading towards early elections, and rapid developments are expected in other countries as well.
Measurable Results of the European Elections
The European elections on June 9th brought forth 21 new representatives from Greece to the European Parliament. In an election with a historical record of abstention, as participation was only at 41.39%, it is important to analyze the data that emerged from the ballot boxes.
In the 2024 European elections, 4,062,092 out of the total 9,814,685 registered voters cast their votes. Of the ballots found in the box, 97.88% were valid (3,976,085 votes), 1.36% were invalid (55,283 votes), and 0.76% were blank (30,714 votes). The 21 new MEPs from Greece were elected from eight parties that passed the 3% electoral threshold.
Greece was once again "painted blue," with New Democracy prevailing in almost all electoral regions, except for two in Crete where PASOK led and two in Thrace where the Party of Equality, Peace and Friendship came first.
New Democracy recorded its highest percentages in Laconia with 35.62%. It received over 30% in 13 other regions, with the best performances in the Northern Sector of Athens, Chios, Eastern Attica, Karditsa, and A’ Piraeus.
On the other hand, SYRIZA did not manage to come first in any region. Its highest percentages were recorded in Arta with 22.66%. This was followed by Kefalonia (20.59%), Corfu (19.33%), the Western Sector of Athens (18.87%), Achaia (18.35%), and B’ Piraeus (18.33%).
PASOK won first place in Lasithi with 29.37% and in Heraklion with 26.41%, while it recorded high percentages in Rethymno with 25.04% and in Ilia with 22.66%. The Greek Solution and Niki parties increased their percentages by attracting disappointed voters of New Democracy, while the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) maintained its percentages, even achieving a slight increase.
How They Voted in Kefalonia
In Kefalonia, New Democracy received 3,701 votes, with candidate Eleonora Meleti emerging as the top preference among voters, garnering 1,286 votes. SYRIZA PS gathered 3,054 votes, with Nikolas Farantouris receiving 2,276 votes, while Maria Bekatorou received 484 votes. The high abstention rate on the island, with 70.87% of voters not turning out to vote, raises concerns and many questions. Despite an improvement from the 79.89% abstention rate in the 2023 Regional elections, abstention remains significant. Regarding the high voter abstention rate, Argostoli Mayor Theofilos Michalatos commented to the Kefalonian Globe , stating that "The main characteristic of this year's European elections was the significant abstention of voters from the polls, both locally and nationally, as well as at the European level. This phenomenon, which was not expected to such a broad extent, has concerned the state institutions, which are now called upon to take immediate corrective actions in order to restore the voters' trust in the political system."
The Mayor of Lixouri, Giorgos Katsivelis, speaking to Kefalonian Globe, remarked on the European election results across Greece, saying that "abstention, which was the big winner, was apparent as voters throughout Europe are disappointed with the policies being implemented and day by day question the European structure. The rise of far-right parties indicates the deadlock into which problems such as the economy, security, and uncertainty have driven citizens, issues that no one can guarantee solutions for, thus populism finds fertile ground." He also emphasized that the message sent by the citizens to the government is "to accelerate reforms so our state can finally become European, and to face price gouging, citizen safety, and justice delivery with greater courage."
Specifically, regarding the low participation of Ionian Islanders and particularly Kefalonians, m. Katsivelis commented that "parties did not convey to voters what is at stake in these elections concerning the European Union and our common future; they engaged in sterile internal conflict which people are tired of." In response to a question about whether local authorities have adequate support from the European Union, he answered that "local authorities essentially suffer from an inability to support their role as local authorities in European countries do, as we lack both sufficient resources and specialized personnel. Consequently, we often lack the ability to utilize European Union funding tools. There must be a holistic intervention by the Greek state in cooperation with the EU to organize municipalities and regions with appropriate personnel to guide services."
It is noted that many candidates and elected officials have a special connection to the island of Kefalonia. Indeed, the Mayor of Sami, Panagis Drakoulongonas, expressed his congratulations to Eleonora Meleti and Nikolas Farantouris on their election to the European Parliament, emphasizing that "their presence and participation in the highest institution of the European Union is a great honor for all of us, their fellow citizens and compatriots." On his part, Argostoli Mayor Theofilos Michalatos pointed out to the Kefalonian Globe that "the election of Mr. Farantouri and Ms. Meleti is very important, as having two Kefalonians in the European Parliament can only have a positive impact on our islands. Both are highly knowledgeable about the potential of our region, and through the utilization of European tools and resources, they can contribute significantly to local development and prosperity. As a Municipality, we will be their companions on this journey, with the aim of safeguarding local interests."
How Voters Cast Their Votes
The voter profile across the country is of interest. According to a qualitative analysis of the exit poll, young people aged 17-24 nationwide gave SYRIZA the lead with 20.8%, while New Democracy garnered 17.1%. PASOK-KINAL followed with 11%, the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 7.4%, Greek Solution with 5.9%, and Victory with 4.5%.
Pensioners, on the other hand, preferred New Democracy with 38.9%, while SYRIZA received 17.4%. PASOK gathered 14.4%, KKE 8.7%, Greek Solution 8%, Victory 2.3%, and Course of Freedom 2.1%.
The losses of New Democracy in the centrist space were the main reason for its drop in percentages. According to the qualitative analysis of the exit poll by Pulse director Giorgos Arapoglou on SKAI TV, New Democracy lost 12-13% in the centrist space, a percentage corresponding to the loss recorded by the ruling party compared to the 2023 national elections.
Center-right voters mainly supported New Democracy (68.6%), while center-left voters chose SYRIZA (37.4%). Centrist voters gave 30.9% to PASOK, 21.5% to New Democracy, and 8.6% to SYRIZA. Greek Solution received 9.8% of centrist voters, while 13.7% turned to another party. Left-wing voters chose SYRIZA (33.9%), KKE (23.3%), PASOK (15.6%), and New Democracy (2%).
The large group of undecided voters , representing 13.1%, decided what to vote for on election day, while 12.1% decided in the last week.
The majority of voters (62.8%) voted to send a message of dissatisfaction to New Democracy, while 31.8% voted with the need for stability in mind.
Who Will Go to the European Parliament by Party
New Democracy (ND): 7 MEPs
Georgios Avtias -310,876 votes 310,876 votes
Evangelos-Vasileios Meimarakis - 261,123 votes
Eliza Vozemberg-Vryonidi - 247,452 votes
Dionysios-Frentis Beleris - 238,801 votes
Eleonora Meleti - 173,815 votes
Emmanouil Kefalogiannis - /strong> 162,494 votes
Dimitrios Tsiodras - 157,731 votes
SYRIZA: 4 MEPs
Konstantinos Arvanitis - 154,800 votes
Nikolaos Farantouris - 136,973 votes
Nikolaos Pappas - 128,078 votes
Elena Kountoura - 114,963 votes
PASOK: 3 MEPs
Nikolaos Papandreou - 123,294 votes
Ioannis Maniatis - 108,231 votes
Athanasios (Sakis) Arnaoutoglou - 92,087 votes
Greek Solution: 2 MEPs
Emmanouil Fragkos - 110,699 votes
Galato Alexandraki - 51,465 votes
KKE: 2 MEPs
Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos - 108,604 votes
Konstantinos Papadakis - 106,668 votes
Niki: 1 MEP
Nikos Anadiotis - 42,066 votes
Course of Freedom: 1 MEP
Maria Zacharia - 23,199 votes
Voice of Reason: 1 MEP
Afroditi Latinopoulou - 58,981 votes
Candidates with the "Poorest" CVs Won
An analysis by the Center for Liberal Studies highlighted that Greek voters preferred to elect men over 50 years old with a lower educational level than the average of the candidates. Notably, emphasis was placed on journalists, with 24% of the elected being journalists, while the corresponding percentage among candidates was only 7.5%. Below are the detailed percentages as seen in the analysis by the Center for Liberal Studies:
Gender: - 71% men - 29% women
Age: - Preference for men over 50 years old
Profession:
24% journalists
14% lawyers
10% academics
Re-election: - 66.7% of MEPs for the 2019-2024 period were re-elected
Abstention
The detailed assessment of the results of the 2023 European elections in Greece highlights high abstention as a central feature, reaching almost 60% nationwide and exceeding 50% in nearly all prefectures. Florina stands out as the abstention champion with a rate of 73.37%, followed by Kefalonia with 70.87% and Laconia with 69.69%. The main message of the elections is the disapproval of the government and the political system, strengthening the "anti-systemic" vote. According to relevant estimates, one reason for the unprecedented low turnout was the "fatigue" from the successive electoral contests held in the country over the past year and a half (double parliamentary elections, local and European elections).
Additionally, another reason that may have played a role in reducing participation was the large gap maintained by the leading party from the rest, which created in some the impression that the result was decided. However, according to many, low participation is primarily the result of the long-standing crisis in political representation and distrust in institutions.
Abstention Rates by Municipality:
- Florina: 73.37%
- Kefalonia: 70.87%
- Laconia: 69.69%
- Dodecanese: 67.45%
- Arcadia: 65.57%
- Lesvos: 65.52%
- Corfu: 65.40%
- Evrytania: 65.18%
- Thesprotia: 64.73%
- Zakynthos: 64.59%
- Drama: 64.48%
- Xanthi: 64.40%
- Rodopi: 64.34%
- Serres: 64.33%
- Lefkada: 64.21%
- Messinia: 63.64%
- Chios: 63.59%
- Ilia: 62.71%
- B’ Western Attica: 62.57%
- Kastoria: 62.48%
- Samos: 62.47%
- Kavala: 62.13%
- Kilkis: 61.81%
- Evros: 60.93%
- Cyclades: 59.90%
The Next Day…
The 2024 European elections reveal the need for reorganization and new strategies in Greek political parties, with PASOK at the center of internal conflict and SYRIZA attempting to regroup the progressive space.
Specifically, PASOK is experiencing intense internal turmoil and leadership challenges against Nikos Androulakis. Figures such as Odysseas Konstantinopoulos are calling for a change in leadership and acceleration of internal elections with the goal of a "leadership, political, organizational Restart." At the same time, Nikos Papandreou emphasizes the need for immediate intervention by the party's base, while Milena Apostolaki expresses concern about the limited rise of the party and the failure to achieve second place. Similar concerns have been expressed by other party members such as Nadia Giannakopoulou and Pavlos Geroulanos. Charilaos Trikoupis (PASOK headquarters) is trying to contain the discussion, assuring that the timeline for internal elections and procedures will be adhered to and internal strife will not be allowed.
Meanwhile, SYRIZA continues to lose strength, despite the fact that traditionally, European elections favor the main opposition party. It is noted that Stefanos Kasselakis has called for parliamentary cooperation with PASOK.
In summary, the 2024 European elections in Greece sent a strong message of disapproval towards the government and the political system in general, with high abstention reflecting the distance and distrust of the citizens. The electoral contest highlighted the need for renewal and effective response to social concerns, which translates into the path to restoring citizens' trust in political structures requiring new approaches and strategies.
English 
Greek