Book excerpt: PARTIES AND ELECTIONS IN EUROPE is a comprehensive reference guide to the parliamentary elections and governments in the European countries since 1945, the elections to the European Parliament since 1979 and to all significant political parties in Europe. Listed are more than 1250 parties (currently active parties and dissolved or inactive parties). The guide includes basic data of these parties (founding years, political orientations, affiliations to political parties at European level, political groups in the European Parliament and political internationals) and a chronological summary of their history (name changes, predecessors, mergers and splits).