ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the electoral performances of Green parties in Europe at the national and European levels. It also examines the Green voters in terms of social background, political preferences, form and degree of social and political activism and attitudes towards politics and democratic institutions. In the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland, Green parties face different electoral systems. In the UK, the single-member plurality system raises important barriers to the entry of new outsider parties. Ireland uses the single transferable vote system, which is proportional but operates in low-magnitude districts where the strategy of the parties in terms of voting instructions is important. In September 1990, the Green Party was split into two organisations acting on different territorial areas: the Green Party of England and Wales (GPEW) and the Scottish Green Party (SGP). If Green parties in Europe have followed distinct electoral paths, their electorate can be identified as a group sharing specific characteristics that distinguish them from other voters.
