General election in Greece 2007

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Result (in%)

%

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

41.84

38.10

8.15

5.04

3.80

1.05

2.02

SYRIZA ^d

Otherwise.

Gains and losses

compared to 2004

% p

4th

2

0

-2

-4

-3.52

-2.45

+2.25

-0.02

+1.61

+1.05

+1.07

SYRIZA ^d

Otherwise.

Remarks:

^d Alliance of several left-wing parties, since 2007 with DIKKI

Distribution of seats

A total of 300 seats

KKE : 22
SYRIZA : 14
PASOK : 102
ND : 152
LAOS : 10

The early parliamentary elections in Greece in 2007 took place on September 16, 2007. The regular election date would have been March 2008. In the election, the 300 members of the Greek Parliament were redefined. The election was overshadowed by the devastating forest fires in Greece in the summer of 2007 and the allegations made by the government opposition over its crisis management.

Despite some losses, the New Democracy (ND) party, led by the previous Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, received an unexpectedly clear majority. The competing Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima (PASOK) under their candidate Giorgos Andrea Papandreou lost significantly more. The winners were the left-wing parties such as the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the left-wing alliance Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), but also the Laikos Orthodoxos Synagermos (LAOS) party, which is considered to be right-wing nationalist and religious , won 3.8 percent of the votes for the first time move into parliament.

Right to vote and compulsory voting

A three percent clause applies in the Greek electoral law. According to Greek electoral law, the votes of small parties that cannot exceed this hurdle are automatically assigned to the strongest party in the distribution of seats in order to facilitate the formation of a government. In addition, a simple majority of the votes is enough for the strongest party to win a majority of the 300 seats in parliament. So it doesn't necessarily have to be a coalition to get an absolute majority.

In Greece, the publication of polling election forecasts is banned for 2 weeks before the election date. This is why so-called “post-election polls”, which are published immediately after the polling stations close at 7:00 p.m., are the first indicator of the possible outcome of the election.

In Greece, voting is compulsory for all Greek citizens over the age of 18, but neglect is no longer punished since a constitutional amendment in 2001. The turnout in the 2007 parliamentary elections was only around 74 percent. The combination of compulsory voting and the Greek right to register ensures an increased volume of travel with each election, as the "home town" has to be chosen, which often does not match the place of residence. Employees can get up to three days off, ferry tickets are largely financed by the major parties.

Parties

22 different parties ran for election.

The parties represented in Parliament so far:

Parliamentary parties
logo	Surname	Alignment	Top candidate
	Nea Dimokratia (ND) Νέα Δημοκρατία (ΝΔ) New Democracy	conservative		Kostas Karamanlis
	Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima (PASOK) Πανελλήνιο Σοσιαλιστικό Κίνημα (ΠΑΣΟΚ) Panhellenic Socialist Movement	social democratic		Giorgos Papandreou
	Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (KKE) Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας (KKE) Communist Party of Greece	Communist		Aleka Papariga
	Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras (SYRIZA) Συνασπισμός της Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς (ΣΥΡΙΖΑ) Coalition of the Radical Left	left socialist		Alekos Alavanos

Election result

The ND struggled to win an absolute majority of two seats (152 out of 300). She lost about 380,000 votes, which is 11.5% of her strength. PASOK lost around 270,000 votes (10% of its strength) and lost support again after losing power in 2004.

The KKE gained about 140,000 votes and increased its strength by approximately 32%. SYN / SYRIZA increased its power by approximately 115,000 votes, an increase of 48%. In total, KKE and SYN / SYRIZA gained around 255,000 votes and approached 13.19% compared to 9.16% four years ago (together with the extra-parliamentary left, the left received a total of around 14%). It was the highest percentage the two left parties have received since 1990.

The nationalist-religious party LAOS entered the parliament of the Hellenic Republic with 10 members. LAOS gained around 110,000 votes and increased its strength by around 70%. This party failed to pass the 3% hurdle (2.19%) in the 2004 parliamentary elections, but then achieved 4.1% of the vote in the European elections in the same year and has since been represented by one member in the European Parliament.

With these numbers as a result, the ND could rule alone. Thus the Greeks had a five-party parliament with a clearly strengthened left (KKE and SYN / SYRIZA together) and with a right-wing national religious party LAOS (dt. "People") in the opposition.

Result of the general election in Greece 2007
Political party		be right			Seats
Political party		number	%	+/-	number	+/-
	New Democracy (ND)	2,994,979	41.84	−3.52	152	−13
	Panellinio Sosialistiko Kinima (PASOK)	2,727,279	38.10	−2.45	102	−15
	Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (KKE)	583,750	8.15	+2.25	22nd	+10
	Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras (SYRIZA)	361.101	5.04	+1.78	14th	+8
	Laikos Orthodoxos Synagermos (LAOS)	271,809	3.80	+1.61	10	+10
	Ikologi Prasini	75.502	1.05	New	0	New
	Dimokratiki Anagennisi	57,167	0.80	New	0	New
	Enosi Kentroon (EK)	20,840	0.29	+0.03	0	± 0
	Kommunistiko Komma Elladas (marxistiko-leninistiko) (KKE (ml))	17,555	0.25	+0.10	0	± 0
	Metopo Rizospastikis Aristeras (MERA)	11,843	0.17	+0.02	0	± 0
	Enotiki Antikapitalistiki Aristera (ENANTIA)	10,604	0.15	New	0	New
	Marxistiko-Leninistiko Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (ML KKE)	8,137	0.11	+0.05	0	± 0
	Fileleftheri Symmakhia	7,498	0.10	New	0	New
	Comma Fileleytheron	3,099	0.04	± 0.00	0	± 0
	Organosi gia tin Anasygkrotisi tou KKE (OAKKE)	2,473	0.03	± 0.00	0	± 0
	Agonistikó Sosialistikó Kómma Elládas (ASKE)	2,109	0.03	−0.01	0	± 0
	Ellines Ikoloyi	1,740	0.02	-	0	-
	Fos. Alitheia. Dikaiosyni.	970	0.01	New	0	New
	Independent candidates	536	0.00	−0.01	0	± 0
	Dimokratiki Pagkosmios Ellas	10	0.00	New	0	New
	Perferiaki Astiki Anaptyxi (PAA)	5	0.00	New	0	New
total		7,159,006	100.00		300
Valid votes		7,159,006	97.33	−0.47
Invalid votes		148,850	2.02	+0.39
Blank ballot papers		47,170	0.64	+0.07
voter turnout		7,355,026	74.15	−2.35
Non-voters		2,563,891	25.85	+2.35
Registered voters		9,918,917
Source: Greek Ministry of the Interior

Trivia

Vicky Leandros did not succeed in getting a mandate for PASOK.

swell

Web links

Spiegel.de "Trial by Fire for Karamanlis"

Individual evidence

↑ Official result of the parliamentary elections 2007 Greek Ministry of the Interior (Greek / English)

[Wahlergebnis-2007-1] Official result of the parliamentary elections 2007 Greek Ministry of the Interior (Greek / English)