Synaspismos

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Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς των κινημάτων και της Οικολογίας
Synaspismós tis aristerás ton kinimáton ke tis ikologías
Synaspismos logo
Alexis Tsipras Komotini cropped.jpg
Party leader Alexis Tsipras (2008-13)
founding 1992
resolution 2013 (merged into SYRIZA )
European party Tbsp
EP Group GUE-NGL
Website www.syn.gr

The Coalition of the Left of Movements and Ecology ( Greek Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς των κινημάτων και της Οικολογίας Synaspismos tis aristerás ton kinimáton ke tis ikologías shortly ΣΥΝ or SYN , alternatively Synaspismos ) was a left political party in Greece . It was founded in 1992 and dissolved into the successor party SYRIZA in June 2013 . Synaspismos campaigned for ecology , feminism and pacifism and was the fourth largest party in Greece at the national level from 1996.

Political orientation

Synaspismos was a post-communist and reformist party of the post-materialist New Left or “post-modern left”, which sees itself neither as classically communist nor as social democratic. Their program was focused on democratic socialism , protection of minority rights and ecology. It can thus be classified as a “red-green” or “green-left” party. Synaspismos was positive about European integration, but wanted to make the EU more harmonious, more democratic and more egalitarian. It can be seen as an example of a left and at the same time decidedly pro-European party, where it hoped above all to create a progressive and socially just Europe as an antipole to US-American capitalism. The party was closely associated with the globalization-critical or alter-moonialist movement.

Synaspismos was a member of the party of the European Left and had observer status with the European Anti-Capitalist Left . In the European Parliament he was a member of the Confederal Group of the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE / NGL).

Until 2012 Synaspismos did not come out on election results between 3 and 5%. It was supported mainly by employees, students and intellectuals, while it barely reached industrial workers, the lower class and the rural population.

history

Synaspismos as an electoral alliance

The Eurocommunist Communist Party of Greece - Inland (KKE-Inland) can be seen as the earliest forerunner of Synaspismos . This parted from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in 1968 because, in view of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia, it no longer wanted to support the KKE's uncritical support for the Soviet Union . The KKE-Inland split again in 1986, the majority of the party renamed itself Elliniki Aristera (E. Ar, 'Greek Left') and erased hammer and sickle from their symbol.

In 1989 the Greek Left entered into an electoral alliance with the traditional KKE and smaller left-wing parties under the name Coalition of the Left and Progress ( Συνασπισμός της Αριστεράς και της Προόδου , Synaspismós tis Aristerás kai tis Proódoudou ). That was a reaction to the changes in the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc states and the crisis of the then ruling social democratic PASOK . Together they hoped to move a substantial part of the previous PASOK electorate to change. In the medium term, the leaderships of the two parties planned to even let the alliance grow into a unified party. In the June 1989 election, Synaspismos won 13.1% of the vote and - since neither of the two big parties had an absolute majority - formed a short-lived coalition with the conservative Nea Dimokratia to replace the scandalous PASOK. The orthodox Marxist-Leninist part of the KKE left the alliance in 1991.

Independent party

A reform-oriented part of mainly younger members stayed with Synaspismos, which changed into a common party in June 1992, which initially kept the same name as the electoral alliance. The party's first chairman was Maria Damanaki .

In 1993 Synaspismos just failed to pass the 3 percent hurdle in the elections. After this defeat, Damanaki resigned as party leader. She was followed by Nikos Konstantopoulos , who led the party until 2004. In the European elections in 1994, however, the party won 6.25% and was able to send two representatives to the European Parliament. They joined the Confederal Group of the European United Left , which renamed itself the European United Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE / NGL) in early 1995 . With a result of 5.12%, it entered the Greek Parliament in 1996 , where Synaspismos was then continuously represented until its dissolution. From 1999, however, the proportion of votes decreased; Synaspismos barely overcame the 3 percent hurdle in 2000 and 2004.

Synaspismos advocated the introduction of the euro currency, but at the same time called for a further change in financial and social policy and a European economic government to balance the influence of the European Central Bank (ECB). The party rejected NATO's air strikes on Yugoslavia in 1999 and spoke out in favor of strengthening European foreign and security policy against American-dominated NATO.

In 2003 the 'Coalition of the Left and Progress' renamed itself to the 'Coalition of the Left, Movements and Ecology'. However, the naturalized short name remained the same.

Part of SYRIZA

Alekos Alavanos

In the 2004 parliamentary elections , Synaspismos and other left parties and groups formed the coalition of the Radical Left ( Greek Συνασπισμός της Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς Synaspismós Rizospastikīrangs Aristerás and SYRIZA ), which is elected 3.26% of the electorate. In May 2004 Synaspismos helped found the party of the European Left . In the European elections on June 13, 2004 Synaspismos achieved 4.16% and sent a member of the European Parliament . In December 2004 Alekos Alavanos took over the party chairmanship.

Party youth of Synaspismos (2007)

The organization of the Fourth European Social Forum in Athens in 2006 was an important success for the party and SYRIZA as a whole, which also stabilized the ties within the alliance. In the 2007 general election , SYRIZA received 5.04% of the vote and 14 seats in the Vouli . At the fifth party congress in February 2008, the then 33-year-old engineer and secretary of the youth organization of the party Alexis Tsipras was elected chairman. Until 2012 he was the last party leader of the Synaspismos. In the Greek parliamentary elections in 2009 , the party got 4.6% and 13 seats.

In June 2010 the DIMAR (Democratic Left) split off from Synaspismos and entered parliament in the 2012 elections. From June 2012, they supported the government of Andonis Samaras , but without providing a minister. In the parliamentary elections on May 6, 2012 , Syriza was the second strongest party with 16.8% of the vote, behind Nea Dimokratia and ahead of PASOK . She held 52 seats in the Greek Parliament .

After winning the May 2012 election , opinion polls saw Syriza head to head with Nea Dimokratia in the June 17 election . Since the Greek electoral law grants the strongest party a bonus of 50 additional seats in parliament, but this only applies to independent parties and not to electoral alliances, Syriza submitted a founding declaration to the Supreme Court, which is responsible for admitting the parties to the election Party with the name SYRIZA - United Social Front (ΣΥΡΙΖΑ Ενωτικό Κοινωνικό Μέτωπο) newly founded.

See also

literature

  • Julian Marioulas: The Greek Left. In: Birgit Daiber, Cornelia Hildebrandt, Anna Striethorst: From Revolution to Coalition. Left parties in Europe. Dietz-Verlag, Berlin 2010, available at: rosalux-europa.info (PDF).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Marioulas: The Greek Left. 2010, p. 272.
  2. ^ A b Richard Dunphy: Contesting Capitalism? Left parties and European integration. Manchester University Press, Manchester 2004, p. 110.
  3. ^ A b c d Luke March: Radical Left Parties in Europe. Routledge, Abingdon (Oxon) 2011.
  4. ↑ Vít Hloušek, Lubomír Kopeček: Origin, Ideology and Transformation of Political Parties. East-Central and Western Europe Compared. Ashgate, Farnham (Surrey) / Burlington VT 2010, p. 46.
  5. ^ Uwe Backes, Patrick Moreau: Conclusion. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, Göttingen 2008, pp. 571, 575.
  6. ^ Richard Dunphy: Contesting Capitalism? Left parties and European integration. Manchester University Press, Manchester 2004, pp. 169, 171-172.
  7. ^ Backes, Moreau: Conclusion. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. 2008, pp. 574-575.
  8. ^ Rudolf von Hüllen: Transnational Cooperation of Post-Communist Parties. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. 2008, p. 477.
  9. ^ Backes, Moreau: Conclusion. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. 2008, p. 575.
  10. ↑ Marioulas: The Greek Left. 2010, pp. 273-274.
  11. ^ Dunphy: Contesting Capitalism? 2004, p. 29.
  12. ↑ Marioulas: The Greek Left. 2010, p. 273.
  13. ↑ Nikos Marantzidis: The Communist Party of Greece after the Collapse of Communism (1989-2006) - From Proletarian Internationalism to Ethno-Populism. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. 2008, pp. 247-248.
  14. ^ Dunphy: Contesting Capitalism? 2004, pp. 109-110.
  15. ↑ Marantzidis: The Communist Party of Greece. 2008, p. 250.
  16. ^ A b Backes, Moreau: Conclusion. In: Communist and Post-Communist Parties in Europe. 2008, p. 574.
  17. ^ Dunphy: Contesting Capitalism? 2004, pp. 111-112.
  18. ↑ Article 1.2a of the Electoral Law of 2008 (Greek) stipulates that an electoral alliance only receives the bonus of 50 seats if its share of the vote, divided by the number of parties involved, is higher than that of the strongest independent party.
  19. ↑ Ta Nea of ​​May 22, 2012