Verney, S. (2014) “Broken and Can’t be Fixed’: The Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Greek Party System”, The International Spectator: Italian Journal of International Affairs, Volume 49, Issue 1, 2014
The Greek election of May 2012 failed to produce a government, resulting in repeat elections six weeks later. This shock outcome was a symptom of a broader delegitimation of the national political system. Over the past decade Eurobarometer data show a much more extensive loss of confidence in political institutions in Greece than in the European Union as a whole. In a first phase, rising political discontent was managed within the traditional political framework through alternation in power between the two major parties. In contrast, the second phase, following the outbreak of the Greek sovereign debt crisis, led to the dramatic fragmentation of the party system and changed the mode of government formation. This process is not reversible and entails serious democratic dangers.
Relevant posts:
- Vasilopoulou, S., Halikiopoulou, D. and Exadaktylos, T. (2013) “The primary response by Greek parties to the crisis has been to divert political accountability through populist blame-shifting”, LSE European Politics and Policy Blog, 18 December.
- Vasilopoulou, S., Halikiopoulou, D. and Exadaktylos, T. (2014) “Greece in Crisis: Austerity, Populism and the Politics of Blame“, JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies”, 52: 388–402.
- Lekakis, Eleftheria (2013) “Greece, fascism and beyond”, Open Democracy – Free Thinking for the World, 29 May.