James Vassilopoulos
The social democratic Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) was booted out of office in the March 7 general election. The conservative New Democracy (ND) gained government and the new Coalition of the Radical Left (SYN) won 6 seats.
With 99% of the vote counted, ND won 45.4%, a swing of 3%. It is likely to pick up 165 of the 300 parliamentary seats. PASOK received 40.6% of the vote, after a 3% swing against it. Two left-wing parties — the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) with 5.9% of the vote, and the SYN with 3.3% — will also have parliamentary representation.
The electoral system is proportional but a threshold of 3% of the national vote is needed to gain parliamentary representation. This means that while ND gained 45.4% of the vote, they will take 55% of the seats.
PASOK's eleven-year rule was comparable to other neoliberal governments, such as Tony Blair's British Labor government. PASOK attempted to cut pensions. In 2003 it privatised 3 billion euros of assets including the gas company, DEPA. It failed to improve the rate of unemployment (currently at 9%), nor did it reduce the 30% unemployment rate for people aged between 15 and 24.
Under PASOK's government, 173 workers died each year from industrial accidents. The party was embroiled in the Porto Karras corruption scandal, in which leading members of the government were accused of accepting bribes to approve the construction of hundreds of villas.
PASOK's transformation into a clear neoliberal party was completed when the current party leader George Papandreou made a call for neoliberals to join. Two former ND ministers in the 1990-93 conservative government heeded the call.
ND ran on a right-wing platform, disguised with a little soft rhetoric. They want to lower the company tax on profits from 25% to 20%. They plan to privatise banks, the telecommunications company OTE and Olympic Airways. It is likely they will attempt to create a more flexible labour market and attack social security.
Such a program will not be easy for the conservatives to carry out, given the recent resurgence in resistance to similar policies. In 2001 two general strikes — and the largest protests since 1944 — took place when PASOK tried to reduce pensions and increase the retirement age. There has also been the development of Greek Social Forums, and large protests at the European Union summit last June.
The SYN, which contested the elections for the first time, is a significant development in Greek politics, given the left's highly splintered past. Two factors explain SYN's development: the radicalisation of the moderate party in SYN, the Coalition, and greater collaboration among the radical and revolutionary left.
Other forces in SYN include: the Renewed Communist and Ecological Left, a left split from the euro-communist party; the International Left Workers, a split from the International Socialist Tendency affiliated organisation; the Movement for United Left Action; and Active Citizens, a party that has the famous Nazi resistance fighter Manolis Glezos as a member.
SYN's platform opposes neoliberalism, and calls for an end to the occupation of Iraq, defence of the pensions, and a 35-hour week. It strongly identifies with the anti-capitalist and social movements. More than 140 activists from the Greek Social Forum and the Movement for Social and Political rights signed a statement in support of SYN. Its largest votes came from the two wards of Athens.
The KKE's vote slightly increased in comparison to its 2000 election results, but fell substantially short of the 10% support it enjoyed in the 1981 elections. The Stalinist KKE refuses to work with any other left forces. It is nationalist, yet militant and is involved in many workers' and small farmer struggles. Mikis Theothorakis, the famous composer, put out a call for a united left ticket in these elections but the KKE refused.
One reason for the left's failure to capture the anti-PASOK vote is the division between the SYN, the KKE and some smaller Maoist and leftist parties (one of which received 1.8% of the vote). In 1989 all the major left groups formed a coalition, including the KKE, and won 13% of vote (far higher than when the parties stood separately).
Another factor is that the SYN is a new organisation that has not yet built up its authority in mass struggles. Now, with radicals in parliament, SYN has some new opportunities for a mass hearing for its left politics.
From Green Left Weekly, March 17, 2004.
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