Selection Criteria in Party Leadership Elections in Greece: The Open Primaries of PASOK, ND and SYRIZA

“This is an excellent study that provides an in-depth analysis of the most recent developments in the Greek party system. The introduction of the practice of direct elections as a basis for the transformation of Greek party organisations is discussed and the resulting changes in the behavior of Greek voters. Koliastasis presents the direct leadership elections in New Democracy, PASOK, and SYRIZA with theoretical and empirical competence and methodological completeness, offering highly original insights concerning the electoral behavior of the parties’ selectorates. Given the transitional phase in which party competition in Greece is currently in, an assessment of these changes in political parties and a reflection on their electoral effectiveness is necessary. This study serves as a crucial foundation for such an assessment, presenting arguments essential for understanding the current state of Greek politics.” 

--Costas Eleftheriou , Assistant Professor of Political & Historical Sociology, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the voting criteria of selectors in Greek political parties’ leadership elections, focusing on open and semi-open primaries. It examines seven multi-candidate leadership contests organised by the centre-left PASOK, the centre-right New Democracy, and the radical left SYRIZA during 2007 – 2023, from the theoretical perspective of the Stark model and the three ordered selection criteria. Drawing on polling evidence and interviews with candidates, party officials and their aides, the book argues that the model helps explain the results of Greek parties’ six in seven leadership elections.

Panos A. Koliastasis is Lecturer (adjunct) in Politics at the Hellenic Open University and the University of Athens, Greece.