This year marks 50 years since the fall of the Junta and the restoration of democracy in Greece. A major landmark in modern Greek history, the same year also saw the creation of the two parties which have dominated Greek political life for most of the intervening period.
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Local elections second round update
If the government’s concern over the first round of local elections was that “election fatigue” might have set in after the national elections in June, it appears that in the second round the ruling party fell victim to “ND fatigue”. While Nea Dimokratia dominated the first round of the Regional elections, with ND-supported candidates winning the Governorship of 6 Regions (7 if one includes Stavros Arnautakis in Crete), it was unable to improve greatly on this performance in the second round, despite having several candidates in a leading position.
Continue readingLocal election results a vote for the status quo
Before last Sunday’s local and regional elections, commentators’ attention was focused on whether the ruling party Nea Dimokratia would be able to maintain the substantial majority which it had achieved in the national elections, or whether “election fatigue” might contribute to a reduced turnout, to ND’s disadvantage. The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated his ambition to “turn the country blue” and achieve a dominance of ND-supported candidates in all 13 Regions and the three major municipalities of Athens, Thessaloniki and Patras. At the same time the opposition parties were hoping either to consolidate gains made or to recoup losses incurred in the national elections.
Continue readingAfter their swearing-in, the first meeting of the new government
(reposting of the post “Composition of the new government” under a new title)
Following his swearing-in as Prime Minister on Monday 26th June, Kyriakos Mitsotakis lost no time in appointing the members of his new government. A full list was published on Monday afternoon, and on Tuesday at 1.00 pm the 63 new ministers, alternate ministers and deputy ministers arrived at the Presidential Mansion to be sworn in by Archbiship Ieronymos in the presence of the Prime Minister and the President Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Continue readingPredictions for the election of 25th June
With less than two weeks to go until the new election on 25th June, a picture is beginning to emerge of how things might turn out. The latest polls show Nea Dimokratia maintaining the lead which it had in the May 21st election, while the major opposition parties retain the same pecking order. However, there are some changes at the bottom of the list: both Elliniki Lysi and Mera25 have lost votes compared with May 21st, with Mera25 remaining out of Parliament, while Elliniki Lysi still clears the 3 per cent threshold for entry. Most notably, two parties which were below the Parliamentary threshold in May – the right-wing religious party Niki and Zoe Konstantopoulou’s Plevsi Eleftherias – have now cleared it, bringing the prospect of 7-party Parliament, as against 5 parties in the short-lived Parliament produced by the 21st May election.
Continue readingDate for national elections fixed
The date for national elections has now been set at 21st May. On Friday 21st April, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou to confirm the date, and shortly after 8.00 pm on the same day, the Presidential Decree announcing the dissolution of Parliament was posted outside the Presidential Mansion. By convention, the members of the current government remain in their posts until the election date, with the exception of the minister of the Interior, who is replaced with a stand-in, and the Government spokesman who is replaced by the minister of State.
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