Eurovision debate between candidates for the Presidency of the European Commission , 15 May 2014 | © European Parliament
process ‘ had little impact on the second-order nature of European Parliament elections ’ 4 .
Why so little effect ?
This lack of effect is unsurprising , considering that the lead candidate process was implemented hastily . Firstly , the election campaigns were insufficiently developed , offering minimal time for the visibility of both the candidates and the election process to be established . Candidates tended to focus their campaigns on countries where they already had recognition , anticipating a positive impact on the electorate . Larger Member States , notably Ger-
4 . H . Schmitt & I . Toygür . European Parliament elections of May 2014 : Driven by national politics or EU policy making ?, Politics and Governance , 4 ( 1 ), 2016 , p . 167 .
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