Analysis: European parliamentary elections – could the stakes in a peripheral country hold hope for change?

There were elections for the European Parliament in European Union (EU) member states from 22 - 25 May. The ongoing Eurozone crisis started several months after the last election for the European Parliament in June 2009, and Europe’s establishment parties were expected to feel the brunt of it for the first time. In Greece, the member state that has been hit the hardest by the crisis, the stakes could not be higher, and the country may yet again have a hand in deciding the future of the union. Arguably, the election results are the most important ever for the future of the European ideal.