We thought we would share with you this great profile put together by the English Edition of Kathimerini of the main parties running in tomorrow's Greek elections and which have a chance of getting into Parliament. We added Dimiourgia Xana which wasn't in the original list because we think there is quite a bit of support for this party and the things it stands for.
PASOK
Founded: 1974
Leader: Evangelos Venizelos
Brief history: The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) was
formed by Andreas Papandreou following the collapse of the military dictatorship in
1974 and grew to be the dominant force in Greek politics for the next
38 years. It came to power in 1981 and became synonymous with a
state-centric economic model and the broadening of the public sector.
Heading the party’s so-called “modernizing” wing, Costas Simitis
succeeded Papandreou in 1996. He led Greece into the euro on the back of
some belt-tightening but made way for George Papandreou, Andreas’s son,
before the 2004 elections as PASOK began to flag after many years in
office and was unable to shake off its association with corruption.
Following a period of unsure leadership, George Papandreou was elected
prime minister in 2009 but soon had to deal with a major debt crisis
that led to Greece being bailed out by the EU and IMF. PASOK’s reliance
on higher taxes rather than public reforms and spending cuts to reduce
Greece’s deficit undermined the party’s popularity further. Papandreou
resigned as prime minister last November and as PASOK leader earlier
this year. He was succeeded by one-time leadership rival and former
Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos.
Main campaign points: Venizelos says he will ask the EU and IMF
to extend Greece’s fiscal adjustment period by one year, until 2015, in
order to ease the impact on taxpayers. He has also presented a “National
Regeneration Plan” which is based on a reformed tax system that will
remain stable for 10 years and will ease the burden on low income
earners and pensioners. PASOK also advocates incentives for young people
to turn to farming and steps to increase liquidity for small and
medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The party has pledged to clamp down on
illegal immigration and Greece's citizens' protection minister, a
Socialist, recently announced plans to create 30 detention centers to
house undocumented immigrants, who don't qualify for asylum, before they
are deported. There is not much left of Papandreou's “green growth”
policies in PASOK's new program.
Campaign slogan: Greeks are trying and will succeed
2009 election result: 43.92 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 14 percent
New Democracy
Founded: 1974
Leader: Antonis Samaras
Brief history: The conservative party was founded in 1974 by veteran
politician Constantine Karamanlis, who became Greece’s first prime minister
following the fall of the military dictatorship. Karamanlis stepped
aside in 1980 and the party suffered a series of election defeats at the
hands of PASOK before Constantine Mitsotakis led it to power in 1990.
But his turbulent period in office ended in 1993 when an ND mutiny led
by Antonis Samaras triggered the government's collapse and PASOK's
return to power. Costas Karamanlis, nephew of Constantine, led the party
to a narrow election defeat in 2000. In 2004, however, he became
Greece’s youngest prime minister thanks to a big election win and a
policy of appealing to the middle ground. However, Karamanlis’s
government largely struggled to deliver on the economic and public
sector reforms it had promised and in its later stages became embroiled
in corruption scandals. It suffered a landslide defeat in 2009, leaving
behind a burgeoning public deficit and debt. Rehabilitated after a long
period in the political wilderness, Samaras succeeded Karamanlis and
quickly sought to move the party to the right. New Democracy opposed the
first EU-IMF bailout but last November reluctantly joined the coalition
government that negotiated the second loan agreement.
Main campaign points: Samaras argues that the terms of the EU-IMF
loan deal do not allow enough scope for growth. He advocates a 15
percent flat tax for business and the lowering of VAT. He also supports a
fully fledged privatization program and has suggested that some 11
billion euros in savings that Greece has to make in 2013 and 2014 can
come from slashing public sector waste. New Democracy has pledged to
tighten up immigration rules and repeal a law allowing second-generation
migrants to claim Greek citizenship. Samaras, who does not shy away
from references to “God” or “the nation,” has sought to ramp up the
conservatives' ethical message, promising to do away with deputies'
parliamentary immunity from prosecution and set up a parliamentary
committee to investigate past misdeeds that led to the country's
economic meltdown.
Campaign slogan: Greece is going to make it
2009 election result: 33.48 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 21.5 percent
Communist Party of Greece (KKE)
Founded: 1918
Leader: Aleka Papariga
Brief history: Founded in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution in
Russia, the Greek Communist Party was initially known as the Socialist Labor
Party of Greece. It adopted Marxist-Leninist principles in 1924 and has
since functioned according to democratic centralism.
It played a
significant role in the formation of trade unions but the party was
outlawed by dictator Ioannis Metaxas in 1936. Members of KKE played a
significant role in Greece’s resistance to the Nazi occupation in World
War II but political differences then sparked the civil war, which ended
in 1949 and led to KKE being outlawed again. It did not regain legal
status until the collapse of the military dictatorship in 1974. However,
the Communist Party split into two: the “exterior,” which took its lead
from Moscow, and the “interior,” which developed a more independent
voice. The latter merged in 1989 with other leftist parties to form the
Synaspismos coalition, which later became part of SYRIZA. KKE has
maintained a staunch Marxist-Leninist line since then, refusing to
cooperate with other parties -- even to organize strikes or
demonstrations -- and insisting on nothing less than the overthrow of
the capitalist system.
Main campaign points: KKE is the only party to openly favor a
Greek exit from the eurozone and the European Union, arguing that the
Arab Spring has opened up other avenues of cooperation. It wants a
freeze on all private debts to the banks and the state until Greece
exits the crisis, a minimum pension of 1,150 euros and a freeze on
privatizations. Party leader Aleka Papariga says KKE will not take part
in any coalition government and that voters should back her party so it
can obstruct the imposition of measures that would damage workers’
interests and incomes. KKE wants to legalize immigrant workers and grant
asylum to the victims of imperialist wars. It advocates scrapping
Dublin II regulations, which enable European governments to send illegal
immigrants back to the first EU country of entry.
Campaign slogan: Fight back
2009 election result: 7.54 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 11 percent
Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS)
Founded: 2000
Leader: Giorgos Karatzaferis
Brief history: LAOS, a right-wing nationalist party, was formed
by Giorgos Karatzaferis in 2000 after he was expelled from New Democracy following his
criticism of party leader Costas Karamanlis. While LAOS initially
espoused an ultra-nationalist line and welcomed members with an
extremist past, the party has -- at least publicly -- gradually eased
some of its rhetoric, although it remains hardline on the immigration
issue. LAOS was the only party apart from PASOK to vote in favor of the
first bailout in 2010 and became a junior partner in the coalition
government formed last November. Karatzaferis, however, decided to quit
the administration shortly before the second loan agreement was voted in
Parliament. In the process, LAOS lost its two most prominent MPs --
Makis Voridis and Adonis Georgiadis -- to New Democracy. Karatzaferis’s
equivocal stance over the last few months led to a serious dip in LAOS’s
poll ratings.
Main campaign points: LAOS is still a party that is based around
the ubiquitous Karatzaferis, who is adept at using media coverage to his
advantage. The party wants the mass repatriation of illegal immigrants
in a bid to curb crime and unemployment, and has called for a change in
the law to allow victims to shoot robbers. LAOS has said that the next
Greek government should negotiate a new haircut with its lenders so that
its debt falls to between 100 and 120 billion euros, or about a third
of what it is now. It wants Germany to pay war reparations for crimes
committed by the Nazi regime during its invasion of Greece in World War
II.
Campaign slogan: Everything for Greece
2009 election result: 5.63 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 3 percent
Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA)
Founded: 2004
Leader: Alexis Tsipras
Brief history: SYRIZA was born out of the cooperation of a number
of leftist groups, some with their roots in communist movements. Following a bumpy
start, the coalition more than doubled the number of its MPs to 14 in
the 2007 elections under the leadership of Alekos Alavanos. A year
earlier, Alavanos had placed 30-year-old Alexis Tsipras on the party’s
ticket for municipal elections in Athens to some success. In 2007,
Tsipras was elected party leader at the improbable age of 33 and the
party’s poll ratings soared as voters appeared encouraged by the
leftists’ youthful look. However, this attraction proved fleeting and
SYRIZA’s support dropped slightly in the 2009 elections, partly on the
back of Tsipras adopting an equivocal stance during the unrest in
December 2008 that followed the fatal shooting of a 15-year-old boy in
Athens by a police officer. SYRIZA suffered a further blow in 2010, when
four experienced MPs quit the party to form a new movement, Democratic
Left, due to concerns about positions on a number of issues, most
notably Greece’s relationship with the EU. In recent months, SYRIZA,
which opposes the terms of the EU-IMF bailout, has seen its poll ratings
rise again.
Main campaign points: Tsipras, who hopes he can lead SYRIZA to third
place in the elections, has said he would accept support from the
right-wing Independent Greeks if there were a possibility of forming a
left-wing government that would oppose the terms of the new bailout.
Although fuzzy on the question of keeping the euro, SYRIZA supports
Greece's membership of the European Union, but opposes the
belt-tightening measures mandated by the memorandum. It proposes
sustainable economic policies, it rejects the EU's reformed Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP), it envisages the regeneration of workers'
cooperatives, and rejects the deregulation of maritime transport. SYRIZA
is in favor of abolishing the Dublin II treaty, legalizing all
immigrant workers and speeding up the asylum process. The party
advocates a change in the voting system and is in favor of a simple
proportional representation, which would give all parties seats in
Parliament based directly on their share of the vote.
Campaign slogan: They chose without us, we’re moving on without
them
2009 election result: 4.60 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 13 percent
Ecologist Greens
Founded: 2002
Leader: Six-member committee led by Ioanna Kontouli
Brief history: Unlike some other European Union countries, the
Greens have found it difficult to break into the political mainstream in Greece. Their most
significant achievements were in 2009 when they won a seat in the
European Parliament and more than doubled their support in the national
elections despite falling short of entering the Greek Parliament.
Main campaign points: The Ecologist Greens favor a move to more
sustainable development and the creation of jobs through “green growth.”
They are calling for more emphasis to be placed on organic farming and
sustainable fishing and for Greece to make better use of its renewable
energy sources. In terms of economic policy, the Greens favor higher
taxation for large incomes and lower taxes for SMEs. They propose
lending from the European Central Bank and the issuing of eurobonds as a
means of overcoming the debt crisis. Their stance would make them a
potential coalition partner for a left-leaning government. The party
wants a common immigration and asylum policy for the EU and a revision
of the Dublin II treaty. It is in favor of decriminalizing drug use and
the cultivation of drugs, particulalry marijuana, for personal use.
Campaign slogan: Think clearly
2009 election result: 2.53 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 3.5 percent
Democratic Left
Founded: 2010
Leader: Fotis Kouvelis
Brief history: Democratic Left was formed when four MPs quit
SYRIZA in 2010 to form a more clearly pro-European movement. The party is led by
Fotis Kouvelis, who briefly served as justice minister in the past. His
mild-mannered approach has proved popular with many voters. Until April
20, Kouvelis was the only party leader with an approval rating of more
than 50 percent. The party recently attracted several PASOK MPs who were
ousted from the Socialists for voting against the new bailout. Kouvelis
has ruled out having a fully fledged role in a coalition government
with ND and PASOK but has hinted that Democratic Left might provide
support in Parliament if agreement can be reached on certain policies.
Main manifesto points: Democratic Left rejects Greece's bailout
deal but is keen on the country's eurozone membership. It advocates
finding the 11 billion euros in savings for 2013 and 2014 from
alternative sources, such as modest improvements in fighting tax
evasion, corruption and cutting public waste. It calls for the
introduction of eurobonds and a more active role for the ECB. On the
issue of illegal immigration, it wants a revision of Dublin II and the
repatriation of undocumented immigrants.
Campaign slogan: The responsible left
2009 election result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: 9.5 percent
Independent Greeks
Founded: 2012
Leader: Panos Kammenos
Brief history: Independent Greeks is a right-wing nationalist
party that was formed by ousted New Democracy MP Panos Kammenos in February.
Kammenos, known for his bombastic style, believes that Greece was the
victim of an international conspiracy and that the EU-IMF bailouts have
allowed its lenders to exploit the country. Kammenos, whose party
platform was first unveiled on Facebook, has labeled the politicians who
negotiated the bailouts -- especially former Prime Minister George
Papandreou -- as “traitors.” He has attracted to his party 10 fellow
deputies who were also expelled from ND and has enjoyed a rapid rise in
the opinion polls, aided by his effective use of social media. Kammenos
has suggested he would be willing to work with leftist SYRIZA -- despite
being on different ends of the ideological spectrum -- since both
parties oppose the EU-IMF memorandum. Kammenos has already struck
cooperation with the tiny leftist party People’s Chariot (Arma Politon).
Main manifesto points: Kammenos has called for the
nationalization of the Bank of Greece and the creation of a Greek
investment bank that would protect the country’s property from being
seized by its lenders. He has said he wants to drive the IMF out of
Greece. Kammenos insists the country can cover any funding gap by
getting advance payments for the oil and gas reserves which are
currently the subject of exploration missions. He has been highly
critical of Berlin, seeking payment of German war reparations. Kammenos
has vowed to investigate whether Greek officials colluded with
speculators to profit from a Greek default. He has had little to say on
the migration issue, save sporadic calls for a European response to the
problem.
Campaign slogan: We are many, we are independent, we are Greeks
2009 election result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: 11 percent
Chrysi Avgi (Golden Dawn)
Founded: 1993
Leader: Nikos Michaloliakos
Brief history: Party leader Nikos Michaloliakos had been active
in far-right politics for a number of years before Chrysi Avgi was officially recognized
as a party in 1993. He met with leaders of the 1967-74 military junta
while serving a jail sentence for illegal possession of explosives and
has said he was “proud” to serve in the same jail wing as the imprisoned
colonels. The party expresses open admiration for the 1936-41
dictatorship led by Ioannis Metaxas and associates itself closely with
Nazi ideology and imagery, although Michaloliakos insists he is only a
nationalist who is fighting the “new world order” and corruption in
Greek politics. Chrysi Avgi has advocated vigilantism in the past and
party members have been tried for attacks on leftists and immigrants.
The party gained its first major electoral breakthrough in the local
elections of 2010 when Michaloliakos won a seat on the Athens municipal
council. The party has campaigned heavily in parts of central Athens
where some residents feel threatened by rising crime and the
concentration of undocumented immigrants.
Main campaign points: Chrysi Avgi is opposed to the EU-IMF loan deal
but does not favor an exit from the eurozone at this point. Its main
focus has been on calling for the expulsion of all illegal immigrants
from Greece. It wants land mines placed on the Greek-Turkish border to
stop illegal immigrants entering the country. Michaloliakos told NET TV
that he believes second-generation immigrants born in Greece should be
allowed to live in Greece but not have the right to vote or stand for
office. Michaloliakos says that once his party is in Parliament it will
create private security firms to patrol working-class Athens
neighborhoods and medical centers to provide treatment to the poor.
Chrysi Avgi calls for the cancellation of Greece's bailouts and erasing
of any debt accumulated since 1974 that is deemed “illegal and odious.”
Campaign slogan: So we can rid the land of filth
2009 election result: 0.29 percent
April 20 opinion poll rating: 5.5 percent
Democratic Alliance
Founded: 2010
Leader: Dora Bakoyannis
Brief history: Former Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis was
expelled from New Democracy for voting in favor of the first EU-IMF bailout despite
instructions from the man that beat her to the party leadership, Antonis
Samaras, to the contrary. Bakoyannis set up Democratic Alliance as a
liberal centrist party that aimed to be a halfway house between PASOK
and ND. Despite attracting some conservative MPs to her party,
Bakoyannis has enjoyed extremely limited success with her venture.
Democratic Alliance supports an agenda of structural and political
reform but voters appear unconvinced that Bakoyannis, an established
political figure whose father -- Constantine Mitsotakis -- served as
prime minister, can represent the change she espouses.
Main manifesto points: Democratic Alliance has backed Greece's loan
agreements, deeming support as critical for keeping the country in the
EU and the eurozone. The party wants a smaller government, with fewer
civil servants, and has called for a single 20 percent tax rate for all
Greek citizens. It would like to see more privatizations, further
deregulations of closed professions, and a new legal framework regarding
strikes and the operation of unions. The party says no more migrants
should be admitted to the country until 2020, while calling for the
immediate processing of all outstanding asylum applications. Bakoyannis
supports the reduction of the number of MPs from 300 to 200.
Campaign slogan: It’s not your fault, it’s the state’s, so change it
2009 election result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: 2 percent
Drasi
Founded: 2009
Leader: Stefanos Manos
Brief history: Founded in 2009 by former Economy Minister
Stefanos Manos, the liberal Drasi attracted less than 40,000 votes at the European
Parliament elections that year and did not take part in the subsequent
legislative elections. Manos started his political career as a New
Democracy MP in the 1970s, but after serving in government in the early
1980s and 1990s he attempted to form his own movement. Its lack of
success led to Manos later standing for election on the PASOK ticket.
Manos, who is the party's only professional politician, was one of the
first advocates of a privatization program and has repeatedly called for
widespread public sector reform but has found it difficult to make his
message resonate with voters. Drasi recently joined forces with the
smaller Liberal Alliance, led by gay and human rights activist Grigoris
Valianatos.
Main manifesto points: Drasi backs many of the policies in the
EU-IMF memorandum, including tighter fiscal discipline, privatizations
and state sector layoffs. Manos has proposed the abolition of employer
and employee social security fund (IKA) contributions. He supports
granting every citizen a pension of 700 euros at the age of 67. Drasi
proposes the legalization of drugs and gay marriage, and wants
citizenship granted to all foreigners born in the country. It says the
school curriculum must be redesigned in a way that does not cultivate a
religious and national conscience.
Campaign slogan: We are citizens, not customers
2009 election result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: 1.5 percent
Social Pact
Founded: 2012
Leaders: Louka Katseli & Haris Kastanidis
Brief history: Social Pact was formed in March by two former
ministers who were ousted from PASOK for opposing the new bailout. Ex-Economy Minister
Louka Katseli and former Justice Minister Haris Kastanidis formed that
party to give a voice to disgruntled PASOK supporters but their late
start compared to Democratic Left is one of the reasons that Social Pact
will struggle to make an impact at the ballot box.
Main campaign points: Social Pact says Greece’s membership of the
euro is “not negotiable.” However, it opposes the austerity attached to
the country’s bailout programs and has called for measures that support
growth and social justice. Kastanidis, a close associate of ex-Prime
Minister George Papandreou, insists that the former premier had been
right to call a referendum on Greece’s eurozone membership. Kastanidis
was one of those who advised Papandreou to propose the idea, which
triggered the latter’s downfall.
Campaign slogan: For Greece, in Europe
2009 election result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: N/A
Source:
Kathimerini English Edition
Recreate Greece (Dimiourgia Xana)
Founded: 2012
Leaders: Thanos Tzimeros
Running on a reformist platform, the people running with this party describe themselves as '
productive people who have never been sustained by state
largesse, and who envision a meritocratic and progressive state. We are
successful entrepreneurs, corporate executives, professionals,
scientists, intellectuals and conscientious public servants who cannot
continue to support the parasites within their midst. We are not
household names. However, each one of us has built islets of creativity
and quality, in his family, his business and in his immediate
environment. We know that there are many people in Greece who think and
live their lives as we do. And we know that they are many more than it
appears. They do not break store windows, they do not scream on
television debates, they do not block roads, and they do not occupy
buildings. They only feel pain and sorrow. They are the people we
represent, the people on whom we rely, and the people we want with us.'
They pledge to do away with cronyism and corruption in the public sector and create a meritocratic state staffed by people qualified and willing to offer their services to the citizens.
Campaign slogan: No to the professionals of politics
2009 election
result: N/A
April 20 opinion poll rating: N/A
