Update: Greek Elections

[Nikos Kapitsinis]

Dear all,

a first and fast update from yesterday's elections in Greece. There was a huge loss for the two traditional big political parties that supported the coalition, the memorandum and the huge austerity (PASOK and Nea Dimokratia). They lost together almst 3.000.000 votes (from 5.000.000 in 2009 they had now abut 2.000.000). In all the previous elections after the military dictatorship in 1974 they were the two biggest parties with a rate ranging from 65% to 85%. Yesterday, they had together only the 32% of the participants. The participation was the lowesst ever in greek elections (only 65%). Generally, it was a protest vt against austerity. So, Nea Dimokratia (center-right wing, a mixture of neolibrals and conservaties) was elected first with 18,85% and normally 58 representatives in the parliament. However, since we have a great democracy the election law in Greece gives 50 representatives to the first political party of each election. So, Nea Dimokratia has totally 108 representatives. Second party, is SYRIZA, a reformist left wing coalition which believes in the reform of capitalism and EU and is in favour of greeek participation in Eurozone but is against the memorandum and aims at shaping a government of the left parties, with 16,78%. Whatever it is, it is a great success for Greek left wings since it is the second party and receives 52 representatives. Third, the famous PASOK, the -as it wants to be called- socialists, the governmental party that introduced the memorandum in May 2010, with 13,18% and 41 representatives. Fouth, Independent Greeks, a sub-division of New Democacy, a right wing anti-memorandum party which had a 10,6% and 33 representatives and whose president prmised that he would not paticipate in a government coalition in favour of memorandum even if he were dead. Fifth, the Greek Communist Party with 8,28% and 26 representatives in its stable percentages with its stable voters. Up to here the results are optimistic and good, but, sixth party and first time in its history into the parliament there is the neo-nazi, fascist and extreme extreme right wing party Golden Dawn (or Xrisi Avgi) with 6,97% an 21 representatives. People believed in its anti-memorandum and anti-systemic speech which of course is fake. It is a party supported by the system but I think that in these elections they went out of control (I think that they wanted something like 2-3% in order to be present in the political scene of the country, to kick demonstrators in marches and of course to attack in a murderous way to immigrants. The neo-nazi political party received 7% of the Greek votes in our national elections last night, when in all our previous elections it had received 0.3% of the country's votes. In this video, the followers of the Golden Dawn ultra-nationalist party yell at the reporters to stand up to pay respect to their leader as he is entering the room. When the reporters responded that they are only here to cover the story and they aren't necessarily followers of their party, the man started shouting that they can leave the room if they don't want to follow his word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4AXJx3IzdY&feature=youtu.be

Last party of the parliament, Democratic Left (DIMAR), with 6,11% and 19 representatives. They are very in favour of EU and Eurozone and they want to get out gradually of the memorandum. They stated that they will not be in a government coalition with Nea Dimokratia and Pasok.

Out of the parliament stayed another right wing party (LAOS) which was in the previous government coalition, two liberals parties (DISI and DRASI) and the Greens (Ecologists). 

Anticapitalist left (ANTARSYA), overtriplicated their voters and had a 1,2% of the total voters by recording a presence in the political scene of Greece for first time in its history in national elections by expressing the radical and persistent stuggle against EU, Eurozone and the memorandums. 

Now, there has to be shaped a government coalition for keeping going the memorandum as Brussels and Berlin ordered. Nea Dimokratia starts (as first party) the negtiations but disagrees with SYRIZA, Communists, Aneksartitoi Ellines, DIMAR since they are against the memorandum, it will not meet Golden Dawn and it cannot shape a government coalition with PASOK since they have together 149 representatives in the total of 300.

SYRIZA aims at shaping a left government coalition but it is also very difficult (except that there are not enough representatives) there are also huge differences with, mainly, the communists.

PASOK suports only a government of national unity with all the parliament parties (probably except Golden Dawn).

The negotiations seem to fail (they have 9 days) and after they will go to the President of Greece to do the last effort for a coalition (until 17th May, the first day of the new parliament). If they fail, too, we are going for new elections in 10th or 17th of June.

I remind that in June Greece should decide new austeirt measures for the memorandum. In these days the position of Greece in eurozone is disputed as many banks, isntitutions and others state. We will see.

I will try to keep you updated.

The memorandum will be overthrown in the streets.

PS. 5 minutes ago, Nea Dimokratia and SYRIZA disageed to cooperate in a possible government coalition. Now Nea Dimoratia and PASOK are discussing.

All the best from Greece,

Nikos

[Nikos Kapitsinis]

the results attached.

2012/5/7 Nikos Kapitsinis <nikos.ka...@gmail.com>