Elections Ahead: A Turning Point for Greece?

from Dissent magazine:



Elections Ahead: A Turning Point for Greece?
Kostis Karpozilos - April 16, 2012 1:05 pm


Last Wednesday Prime Minister Lucas Papademos called for Greek parliamentary elections to be held on May 6, the same Sunday as the French presidential contest. This signified the end of a prolonged period of speculation over whether elections would be held, but does not guarantee an exodus from widespread social and political turbulence. It is the first time that Greeks will vote after experiencing the consequences of the euro crisis and austerity measures in their everyday lives. Interest in the outcome of the elections, therefore, is not confined to Greece. The pivotal role of the Greek crisis in Europe, and the parallels with Spain, Italy, and Portugal, have turned the elections of May 6 into a case study of how societies respond to the crisis, and how the crisis has changed existing political forces.

In November 2011 the crumbling political establishment sought refuge in an unprecedented maneuver: the formation of a coalition government of PASOK (the center-left party that governed Greece prior to the coalition), New Democracy (the traditional right-wing party), and LAOS (a far-right populist party). This “national unity” government, under Papademos, implemented austerity measures while postponing elections in the name of “imminent priorities”—that is, the signing of a new agreement (the “Second Memorandum”) with the IMF. What initially appeared as a temporary solution gradually developed into a permanent situation: for the last six months, Greece has had a non-elected government led by a former vice president of the European Central Bank. The situation echoed the establishment stance a few years ago toward the national referendums on euro-constitutions and treaties: they were repeated till the desirable outcome was reached. Under such conditions, the forthcoming parliamentary elections could have constitutional significance.

Over the last six months Greek society has been paralyzed by repeated postponement of the elections and the deepening of the depression, leading to a vicious cycle of apathy, anger, and despair, in which political platforms often seem to make no difference. In November hundreds of thousands protested, waiting for “something to happen,” while this April the announcement of the elections was met with empty streets. On Wednesday, April 11 the main issue was not the elections but two other stories: Akis Tsochatzopoulos, a former minister of defense and a PASOK figurehead, was arrested in his townhouse and accused of operating several offshore companies that handled millions of euros from illegal activities connected with armament sales; and new official unemployment figures were released—21 percent, compared to 14 percent at the same time last year. The breach between the “old” political personnel and the “new” poor of Greece, illustrated in these contrasting stories and in any number of polls, is essential in understanding the rise of anti-political tendencies in Greece and the lack of enthusiastic support for any of the existing ruling parties.

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Two weeks ago a seventy-seven-year-old pensioner committed suicide in the middle of Parliament Square. It was a shocking public statement. Dimitris Christoulas was an “ordinary fellow,” a pharmacist and a leftist. In his suicide note he condemned the austerity measures and called for an insurrection, giving voice to the despair that has penetrated Greek society. During the 2009 euro elections, former Prime Minister George Papandreou, quoting Rosa Luxemburg, told the Greek people that their choice was “socialism or barbarism”; just three years later it is evident how far we have marched toward the latter. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.dissentmagazine.org/atw.php?id=733