DHAKA: Political earthquakes could be in store for Europe in 2015, according to research by the Economist Intelligence Unit for the BBC’s Democracy Day.

It says the rising appeal of populist parties could see some winning elections and mainstream parties forced into previously unthinkable alliances.

Europe’s ‘crisis of democracy’ is a gap between elites and voters, EIU says.

There is ‘a gaping hole at the heart of European politics where big ideas should be’, it adds.

Low turnouts at the polls and sharp falls in the membership of traditional parties are key factors in the phenomenon.

The United Kingdom - going to the polls in May - is ‘on the cusp of a potentially prolonged period of political instability’, according to the Economist researchers.

BDST: 1054 HRS, JAN 20, 2015