Enosis Kendrou
The Enosis Kendrou or Center Union ( Greek Ένωσις Κέντρου , abbreviated EK) was the Greek party of the political center in the 1960s. It was founded by Georgios Papandreou and Sophoklis Venizelos in 1961. The party came to power in 1963 and led it to the political crisis (Apostasia) in July 1965. After the military dictatorship from 1967 to 1974 , the party was revived, but no longer achieved its former importance.
Established in 1961
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The Center Union was created through a merger of the Liberal Party founded by Eleftherios Venizelos , the National Progressive Center Union, the People's Social Party and other smaller parties in the center. It was founded on September 19, 1961, with Georgios Papandreou as party chairman. The party did not have a uniform ideological orientation; rather, it included various political movements from the center-left ( Ilias Tsirimokos ) to the center-right ( Konstantinos Mitsotakis ). It was held together by the charismatic personality of Georgios Papandreou.
Elections 1961–1964
The Center Union took part for the first time in the parliamentary elections in October 1961 and achieved a share of the vote of 33.66% and 100 seats; The winner was the Ethniki Rizospastiki Enosis (ERE, National Radical Union ) of Konstantinos Karamanlis with 50.81% and 176 seats. These elections were marked by violence and fraud. Papandreou called out a "relentless fight", with the youth organization of the Center Union (Οργάνωση Νέων της Ένωσης Κέντρου, ONEK) playing an active role.
The second elections in which the EC participated were on November 3, 1963 . The party won 42.04% and 138 seats, while the Ethniki Rizospastiki Enosis (ERE; National Radical Union) got 39.37% and 128 seats. Although the government of George Papandreou, with the support of the United Democratic Left ( Greek Ενιαία Δημοκρατική Αριστερά ΕΔΑ , Association of Democratic Left EDA ) received a vote of confidence, Papandreou elections preferred, because he wanted to work with that of the Communist Party controlled (KKE) EDA avoid, so as not to provide the ERE with an excuse to conjure up the “communist danger” and endanger the already unstable political situation. This government is known as the "50 Day Government".
In the new elections on February 16, 1964 , the Center Union achieved a landslide victory with a share of the vote of 52.72% and 171 seats compared to 35.26% and 107 seats of the ERE under the leadership of Panagiotis Kanellopoulos . Papandreou was able to form a sole government.
Loss of power in 1965
Papandreou's progressive policies as prime minister aroused much opposition in conservative circles, as did the role of his son Andreas , whose political position was seen as clearly left of center. A lack of solidarity between the EK's leaders soon became apparent. King Constantine II worked against Papandreou; with the help of defectors from the EK (led by Konstantinos Mitsotakis ), Papandreou was able to be ousted from the government; he had to resign as prime minister on July 15, 1965.
Unstable situation 1965–1967
A series of unstable governments and intensified political conflicts followed. The king first gave the mandate to form a government to Giorgos Athanasiadis-Novas , a representative of the conservative wing of the EC, who, however, did not receive a vote of confidence from parliament and was forced to resign. A mandate to form a new government was then given to Ilias Tsirimokos, but this was also unsuccessful. Finally, Stephanos Stephanopoulos was entrusted with the formation of a government by Fileleftheron Dimokratikon Kentron (Liberal Democratic Center), a right-wing split from the EK, who was able to receive a vote of confidence. Georgios Papandreou once again called out a "relentless fight" and mobilized his supporters; Here, too, the EK youth organization, now called the Greek Democratic Youth (Ελληνική Δημοκρατική Νεολαία, EDIN), played a particularly active role. Under this pressure, the new government was forced to call new elections for May 1967.
In order to prevent Papandreou's feared election victory, a military junta seized power in the state with a coup on April 21, 1967 . Its leaders were arrested on the night of April 21, 1967. Papandreou died on November 1, 1968 under house arrest.
After the dictatorship 1974–1976
The Center Union was revived after the restoration of democracy under the leadership of Georgios Mavros . Together with the National Radical Union (ERE) and non-party ministers, it set up a transitional government under Konstantinos Karamanlis from July 24, 1974 . In this Georgios Mavros was Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; the EC also provided the ministers for agriculture, industry, trade, social affairs and transport. At the first elections after the military rule on November 17, 1974, the party entered under the name Enosis Kentrou - Nees Dinameis (EK-ND; Ένωσις Κέντρου - Νέες Δυνάμεις ; Center Union / New Forces ). Alekos Panagoulis was one of their most prominent politicians .
Shortly before the election, Konstantinos Karamanlis founded the Nea Dimokratia (ND; New Democracy), which mainly consisted of former ERE members, but also accepted former EK members (e.g. the later Prime Minister Konstantinos Mitsotakis ). On the left, Georgios Papandreou's son Andreas founded the Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima (PASOK; Panhellenic Socialist Movement), which also took over part of the previous EK electorate. In addition to the two dominant and charismatic personalities of Karamanlis and Andreas Papandreou, the Center Union was unable to restore its importance before the dictatorship. It won 20.42% of the vote and 60 out of 300 seats in the election. Subsequently, the Center Union was in opposition to the Karamanlis VI government , which was provided by the victorious Nea Dimokratia alone.
successor
In February 1976 the EK-ND merged with the two small parties Nees Politikes Dinameis (New Political Forces) and Dimokratiki Enosi Kentrou (Democratic Center Union ) to form Enosi Dimokratikou Kentrou ( Ένωση Δημοκρατικού Κέντρου ; EDIK; Union of the Democratic Center). Georgios Mavros took the chair again. However, the merger could not stop the decline of the liberal center: EDIK achieved only 11.95% and 16 seats in the 1977 elections - a large part of their voters had switched to Papandreous PASOK. Ioannis Zigdis became the new party leader in 1978. Mavros joined PASOK in 1981, which finally made EDIK irrelevant. In the 1981 parliamentary elections , the party left parliament with just 0.4% of the vote. The remnants of the EDIK were absorbed in the Syriza in 2012 .
The Enosi Kendroon (EK; Union of Centrists), founded in 1992 by Vasilis Leventis , ties in with the Venizelist tradition of the earlier Enosis Kendrou. After a long period of insignificance, it entered parliament with 3.4% of the vote in September .