In
Greece, today, no one can foresee what will transpire nationally after the
European elections later this month given the fact that the far-left party
(Syriza) is leading in public opinion while the once dominant socialists
(Elia/Pasok) are polling a paltry 7 %.
According to a recent
poll conducted by Pulse for the weekly review Pontiki, the opposition
Syriza holds a statistically significant lead over the governing rightist New
Democracy party of 2% .
Shockingly, the
fascist Golden Dawn party, on whose legality the Greek Supreme Court will
shortly rule, continues to hold onto third place with the newly formed Potami,
or “River,” led by popular journalist Stavros Theodorakis, placing fourth among
the electorate.
Following is a
detailed summary of voting intentions in Greece for the 2014 Euro-elections (as
published in Pontiki):
Syriza 22,5%
New Democracy 20.5%
Golden Dawn 9%
The River 7%
The unpredictable
outcome may threaten the stability of the current coalition government of Prime
Minister Antonis Samaras' New Democracy and Evangelos Venizelos' Pasok, causing
great concern among the Hellenes of the Diaspora as everything may eventually
be at stake. For, even if Syriza does not triumph on election day, how can the
government continue to cling to power with its coalition partner falling to 7%
among voter preference?
According to Mr.
Anthony Diamantaris, the publisher of the historical New York daily, The National Herald, “the upcoming
elections will likely have historical significance since it is possible that
they may determine the future of the country and, in turn, become a silent
referendum on whether Greece wants to remain inside or outside the euro. The
political system is exhausted. Understandably, the people seem to be looking
for new, more hopeful political forces. This, however, entails the risk of the
prevailing of extreme political forces--from both sides of the political
spectrum—and the empowerment of individuals completely unprepared to handle
current critical national issues. And, of course, should no decisive result
ensue, anarchy would be the worst of all possible consequences. As for the
Greek community in America, I think that we are closely watching the
developments with pain, sorrow and worry and, as always, in solidarity with the
sorely suffering people of Greece."
Dr. Stefanos
Constantinidis, Professor of Political Science at Montreal's UQAM University,
notes that "these elections will be a first taste of what will follow in
national elections in Greece. They will outline eventual developments for the
Greek political system and the future of Samaras’ government. We are in front
of political readjustments. The outcome will be judged by whether Syriza and
New Democracy can hold onto their percentages or if one of the two can come
away with a decisive victory."
How this will affect
the stability of the government is a matter of concern to the political
analysts of Europe. As Constantinidis states,"It will also depend
on the percentages of the other parties. parties. If Elia/Pasok collapses, for
example , it will create a different outlook for the current government and the
political system '
The
Hellenic Diaspora in North America, despite the fact that it may have limited
in-depth knowledge of the upcoming electoral game and its impact on the
Samaras–Venizelos government, is well aware of the following key points:
1)
that Syriza, with the endless internal confusion amongst its partners, is
losing ground whereas it could have developed a momentum that could overturn
today’s political balance;
2)
that New Democracy, with the help of its EU partners and encouraging recent macroeconomic
data, may be on the verge of benefiting from a “post-austerity season,” as
international markets continue to show improving stability in Greece;
3)
that the fascist party, Golden Dawn, continues to be dangerously popular even
though its leaders have been indicted and jailed;
4)
that the infant River party was formed in order to attract disillusioned
center-leftists and, in effect, in order to syphon votes from Syriza;
5)
and that Evangelos Venizelos of Pasok, by remaining in a centre-right coalition
government in spite of his leftist roots, has sacrificed his political future
on the altar of the country's stability and paid a princely sum by seeing his
base migrate to the support of others (mainly Syriza).
It
turns out that May 25th, the day of European parliamentary elections
in Greece, will be a day of judgment on the country's future in the
European Union after all.
