Greece

We are publishing this very interesting and detailed study of the Greek electorate. It provides extremely interesting data, which shows how the different classes and age groups voted. Syriza’s vote is overwhelmingly working class and young, which confirms once again the extreme radicalisation to the left of these layers in society.

We are publishing the final part of the programmatic proposals of the Marxists of Syriza. Written prior to the elections (together with Parts One, Two and Three), the analysis and the programme developed here provided a clear insight into the working of Greek and international capital. It also indicates a way out of the crisis, based on the fundamental premise that control over the economy must be taken out of the hands of the major monopolies and placed under workers’ control

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In this final part of their analysis of the Greek elections, the comrades of Marxistiki Foni look at the reasons for the dramatic decline in support for the KKE (Communist Party) and what the ranks of the party should do to reverse this. They also look at what lies ahead for the new government and the tasks now posed for the Syriza leadership and the party as a whole.

The conclusions we can draw from our analysis is that SYRIZA could have won the elections if the leadership had been equipped with the appropriate programme of action in the election campaign and, above all, if it had had the right political agenda. However, it is also true that what we have accomplished so far is by no means negligible!

The Greek and international bourgeois media orchestrated a huge terror campaign, painting a picture of economic chaos and collapse if Syriza were to win the elections. Thus by a small margin New Democracy (ND) scraped into first place. However, the rise of Syriza, despite all this, indicates the continuing shift to the left in Greek society. Now ND will attempt to form a coalition government with the PASOK, which will be one of continued austerity. Nothing has been solved; the problem has only been postponed. All the conditions are being prepared for a victory of Syriza in the near future. Here we publish an analysis on the elections, written by the Greek Marxists in the course of

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Is the overthrow of capitalism and the establishment of a democratically planned, socialized economy in Greece possible today? The political and professional representatives of the troika and the Greek ruling class disregard as "impractical" any programme that is directed against the interests of the bankers and other predatory capitalists. Any demand to break the shackles of wage slavery and of the huge army of unemployed, who are being forced to eat the leftovers of society, is dubbed as "populism" and "adventurism" by these good Christian gentlemen.

The deadlock of Greek capitalism has assumed nightmarish proportions for the toiling masses. The recession is getting deeper, tax revenues are collapsing, the armies of the poor and the unemployed are growing in numbers, and pension funds at some point will no longer be able to provide pensions. In these dramatic circumstances, the working class and the poor, having fought tough battles in the past two years which radicalised their political consciousness, now place their hopes in SYRIZA and a government of the Left for their survival.

As the elections approach in Greece we are publishing the first part of a contribution by the Marxists of Syriza to the discussion on what programme the party needs to adopt in order to put an end to the draconian austerity measures being imposed on the Greek workers and youth.

We publish here an interview made by Erik Demeester - Editor of the Belgian Marxist paper Vonk - with Stamatis Karayannopoulosthe editor of the Greek Marxist Paper Epanastisi and journal Marxistiki Foni.

The ruling class is scaling up its dirty war against SYRIZA, and is drawing together its various political fractions in the hope of preventing a potential electoral victory of SYRIZA in the elections on June 17. From the point of view of SYRIZA, in order to achieve our aim of a Left government, we need to correct eight grave errors and weaknesses.

The attempt of the ruling class to terrorise the working masses has escalated. The majority of it appears determined to attempt to marginalise their political enemy. The “media”, subservient to the big business, broadcast daily propaganda of a civil war type. The Marxist paper, Revolution is the latest target, being publicly attacked by New Democracy MP Papathanasiou.

In this third and last part of our analysis of the Greek elections we look at the fate of the PASOK, the new situation on the right with the Independent Greeks and the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn - a warning of how things can develop in the future if the Left fails to offer a way out of the impasse - and finally we indicate the programme and tactics that should be adopted in order to unite the left under a revolutionary socialist programme.

The electoral results of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) reveal objectively a serious political failure. Its result of 8.48% (26 MPs) is an increase of its electoral strength by a mere 0.94%, in a situation where hundreds of thousands of workers and youth were moving to the left. While SYRIZA won 800,000 votes, the Communist Party won only 18,823 votes.

(We publish here the first of a two part article written by the Editorial Board of Marxistiki Foni) The results of yesterday's parliamentary elections in Greece – a political earthquake –are a clear indication of the growing radicalisation of society on the basis of the historic deadlock of capitalism and the movement towards an openly revolutionary situation.