- Social-democratic PASOK takes absolute majority
The new Prime Minister of Greece
- The results of Greece’s national elections showed the expected win of the socialist party, PASOK. They were expected to win, however, they won even moreso than the polls had indicated. Garnering 44% of the vote, they beat the incumbent conservative New Democracy party by over 11%. This made for PASOK’s best showing ever coinciding with ND’s worst showing ever.
| Party | Ideology | Affiliation, F. | 2009 | Seats | 2007 | Seats | |
Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima (PASOK)  Panhellenic Socialist Movement |
Social democracy - |
PES, SI 1981 |
43,9% | 160 | 38,1% | 102 | |
| Nea Dimokratia (ND) New Democracy |
Liberal conservatism; Christian democracy | EPP, CDI, IDU 1974 |
33,5% | 91 | 41,8% | 152 | |
| Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (KKE) Communist Party of Greece |
Communism; Marxism-Leninism - |
- 1924 |
7,5% | 21 | 8,2% | 22 | |
| Laikos Orthodoxos Sunagermos (LAOS) Popular Orthodox Rally |
Nationalism; Far right, Right-wing populism | - 2000 |
5,6% | 15 | 3,8% | 10 | |
| Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras (SYRIZA) Coalition of the Radical Left (alliance led by SYN) |
Democratic socialism; Anti-capitalism, Eco-socialism | EL (SYN) 2004 |
4,6% | 13 | 5,0% | 14 | |
| Oikologoi Prasinoi (OP) Ecologist Greens |
Green politics - |
EGP, GG 2002 |
2,5% | - | 1,1% | - | |
| Others | - | - | 2,4% | - | 2,0% | - | |
| Total | - | - | - | 300 | - | 300 | |
| Turnout | - | - | 70,9% | 74,1% | |||
http://www.parties-and-elections.de/greece.html
PASOK and ND are the two large political parties in Greece and have alternated being in power since 1974. New Democracy is a center-right conservative party and PASOK is a center-left social democratic party. Both large parties have their versions of political dynasties with the outgoing Prime Minister, Kostas Karamalis having an uncle, also names Kostas karamalis, who has been prime minister at the begining of the post-junta age in the 1970′s.
The new prime minister, George Papandreou, comes from a long line of greek premiers. His father and grandfather, whom he is traditionally named after, were also prime ministers of Greece in the past. His grandfather, George, was first prime minister during the, then, exiled Greek government in Cairo towards the end of the Nazi occupation of Greece. He was again head of state the 1960′s before the 7-year military junta that took up power in Greece from 1967 until 1974. His father, Andreas Papandreou was prime minister during PASOK’s glory-days of the 1980′s, and again in the mid-1990′s up until his death in 1996.
Today’s Papandreou was born in the United States in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1952. He was educated at Amherst University in Massachussetts, Stockholm University, and The London School of Economics. Now that he’s risen to the head of the PASOK party and has won the legislative elections of Greece to become prime minister, he brings some new faces to Greece’s new government. Many in Greece feel that there has been a need of some new faces for many years. Papandreou is bringing along many younger ministers, some only in their 30′s, as well as more women then there have been in the past. This is breeding more hope within Greek society that the change in makeup beyond just having a different party in power, will bring some deeper inner changes in attitude among those now in power in this small mediterranian nation.
