DEFEAT IN GREEK ELECTIONS
In the November 3 elections in Greece, the rightists suffered a heavy defeat, the National Radical Union headed by Constantine Caramanlis, which had governed the country for eight years, not only losing its absolute ma jority [some 39 per cent of the vote] but dropping behind the Center Union of George Papandreou [above 42 per cent]. The extreme left, repre~ . sented by the EDA’ Tonite. Democratic Left] under John Passalidis, “held its own with a little over 14 per cent of the vote.[The Progressive party. of Spyros-Markezinis came a little under 4 per cent, independents registered about half of one per cent.]
The capitalist press has found the results to be a big surprise, Surprise for whom and why? The elections two years ago were marked by fraud and the use of terror to keep Caramanlis in the majority. At the time the -welleexperienced politician Papandreou [born in 1888], sniffing the wind, loudly denounced the fraudulent elections. and appealed to the monarchy to: cut loose from Caramanlis, After some hesitation, the king lent a sympa~. thetic ear. .
Mass discontent in Greece has risen considerably. Certain layers of the bourgeoisie feel the need. for a government holding real approvals Hence the need to let popular opinion be registered. °
This does not mean that prosperity will come to Greece and that demo~ cracy will flower for the Greek workers and peasants. The new regime is more concerned about an equitable distribution of profits , among the . bourgeoisie than | about stopping the fight against "Communism,"
'. The situation will prove to be all the more unstable since the Center Union won by only a relative majority and will find it quite difficult, both on the right and the left, to construct a coalition. mo Also there are good reasons. for believing that+the elections will, in the final analysis, prove to be the reopening of a period: of intense revival of political life, of a growing polarization of forces, However feeble the liberalization of political life now to be expected, the Greek masses, whose potential is enormous, will take full advantage of the new situation and far from being lulled’ by the nonsense about "democracy" in. Greece spun by the leaders of the Communist party, will resume the struggle that was smashed after the war following Stalinis “commitments at Yalta to his American and British Nallies,"
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