Mass KKE election rally, May 18 -- Image via Twitter.
The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) made significant gains in the Greek parliamentary elections on Sunday, May 21.
The KKE saw its seat count rise from 15 to 26 seats and its vote increased from 299,621 (5.3%) to 425,763 (7.23%). Meanwhile the faux left social-democratic SYRIZA -- which capitulated on its promises when in government and lost power in 2019 -- saw its support erode disastrously even further. Their percentage of the vote declined by over 11% from 31.53% to 20.07% and they lost 15 seats. The governing conservative New Democracy party also lost seats (12) though their vote remained relatively stable.
The KKE is also now the third largest party in Attica, the wider region around the Greek capital.
Dimitris Koutsoumbas, GS of the CC of the KKE, made the following statement on the evening of the elections:
“On behalf of the CC of the KKE, we salute the thousands of workers and young people who took this step today and voted for the KKE, resulting in its considerable rise.
We want to congratulate the thousands of members and cadres of the KKE and KNE who gave their best, contributing to this election result.
This result is the fruit of the experience of the workers and the people who took part in struggles and important actions in the previous years together with the communists.
In particular, we want to thank those who have joined forces with us in this electoral battle, either as candidates or with their personal, multifaceted contribution to the strengthening of the KKE.
The new and old forces that have rallied around our Party can today provide new impetus to the path of the people’s counter-attack, to the class struggle with mass characteristics, to the regroupment of the entire labour trade union movement, to the promotion of the social alliance against the monopolies, capital and capitalism.
The strengthening of the political influence of the KKE, especially in important urban centres of the country, in working-class neighbourhoods of the big cities, in areas where a large part of the industrial labour force and the labour force in general is concentrated, as for example in Attica, are promising messages that pave the way for tomorrow.
The correlation of forces between the bourgeois parties of New Democracy, SYRIZA and PASOK that emerged from today’s elections shows not only the potential for the formation of a government that will continue in the same, anti-popular direction but also a consensus and support from forces that will be in opposition, to the benefit of big capital and at the expense of workers in the private and public sector, of the self-employed, of scientists, of farmers, of the pensioners and the youth.
As the KKE has been pointing out all this time, it is clear that despite their individual differences and confrontations, they converge on basic strategic policies, on basic directions. And not just that – particularly SYRIZA, both when in government and in opposition during the past four years, has been a key vehicle for the conservative turn of the people, eventually fueling the prevalence of New Democracy. Thus from tomorrow, the Greek people and youth will be faced with a new wave of attacks for the implementation of the new prerequisites of the Recovery Fund, a new round of cuts and austerity, a strict fiscal policy, the possibility of a new economic crisis, the dangerous developments regarding the imperialist war in Ukraine and Greece’s increased involvement in it and also the negative settlements regarding the Greek-Turkish relations under the umbrella of NATO. All the above will be implemented by the new anti-popular government that will emerge. No support, no tolerance, no compromise in the face of all these anti-popular policies!
The KKE will be the only hopeful opposition for our people both in and out of parliament, on the side of the class people’s struggles for the protection of the life, income and all the rights of the people and the youth.
The thoughts and scenarios for new elections are being made not because a government cannot be formed but because they want to alter the vote of the people with blackmailing dilemmas and to grab both votes and parliamentary seats based on the new electoral law. Therefore, in this case it is necessary from now on to prepare for an even greater strengthening of the KKE, since their anti-popular agenda is more than a given. Because the KKE will use the power given to it by the people at the elections to contribute both in parliament and on the streets of struggle to organize the popular resistance and the counter-attack on the path of the overthrow of capitalism. The MPs of the KKE will be a real support of the people’s demands; they will strengthen the voice defending and promoting the people’s interests both in parliament and everywhere.
In the coming period, we will continue just the way we started; in a strong, dynamic manner.”
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