Re-Selecting Members of the European Parliament: Candidate Selection, Party Goals, and Re-Election Probabilities

Elena Frech addresses the issue of candidate (re-)selection for the European elections. Studying German parties, the author investigates both, the rules and practice of candidate selection. The study is one of the first to shed light on the goals political parties pursue when selecting candidates in the European context. First, the author provides a detailed account of the formal and informal procedures German parties use to construct the electoral lists for the European elections. Then she turns towards the individual candidates, showing which factors determine the list placement of incumbent parliamentarians. The findings highlight the importance of individual candidate characteristics as well as party institutions and are of interest not only to scientists but also to parties, politicians, and citizens.

​Elena Frech obtained a doctorate from the University of Mannheim (Germany). Currently she holds a research position at the University of Geneva (Switzerland), where she studies parliamentary careers.