Statement of the GS of the CC of the KKE on the elections results of 17th June 2012

The results of the June 17 elections were: Communist Party of Greece, 4,5% , New Democracy-ND (Liberal party) 29,6%, SYRIZA (alliance of opportunist forces and forces from PASOK) 26,9%, PASOK (social-democrats) 12,3%, Independent Greeks 7,55 %, Golden Dawn (nationalist, racist party) 6,9% and Democratic Left (split from Syriza and merged with some forces from PASOK) 6,3%, LAOS (older split from ND, nationalist party) 1,6%. Based on these results the KKE will receive 12 seats.

The General Secretary of the CC of the KKE after the announcement of the results made the following statement:

"The election result is negative for the people which has suffered a lot from the economic crisis and the measures that followed, the memoranda, the loan agreement, the application laws.

The people will face serious problems and developments and whatever government is formed will not meet its expectations-the opposite will be true.

Our assessment concerning the negative character of the election result is based on the following elements:

First: on the increase of ND which is a well known anti-people, anti-worker party which does not change. The worst is not over, as Mr. Samaras claimed. The worst is on the way. And the government that will be formed, apparently with ND as its core, will not solve any of the people’s problems. On the contrary, it will complicate the problems.

Second: on the increase of SYRIZA in the second elections compared to the significant increase it had in the May elections. This time SYRIZA received a large number of votes and a high percentage, but after having watered down to a great extent its slogans concerning the memorandum, the loan agreement, the application laws with its clear position that its policy as a government will be within the framework of the “EU one-way street”. It made many assurances to the ruling class and the foreign powers that Greece will remain in the euro at all costs. In that sense, we believe that its support is a negative element given the fact that it has changed its positions regardless of whether we believed that it wouldn’t implement the positions it had supported for the May 6 elections.

Third negative element: the unquestionably great losses of the KKE that will be of greater significance for the readiness of the people to intervene in light of the intensification of the problems due to the crisis in Greece and above all due to the deepening of the crisis in the Eurozone. Our position on 7th May, that these would be the most difficult and most complex elections of the last 40 years for the KKE has been confirmed. We knew the immense obstacles that the party would have to face, which were much larger compared to those we went through up until the May 6 elections, namely the dilemmas of the new bipolar system, ND and SYRIZA. Both were fighting in their own way for the election result, one through intimidations and the other through illusions. Of course, the result must be assessed by the whole party, by KNE, by the friends and supporters of the party, as the party does in every election, in order to arrive at more comprehensive and substantial conclusions.

Fourth negative element: the votes and the percentage of the “Golden Dawn” despite the fact that after 6th May there was much more evidence regarding its fascist and thuggish nature.

The KKE preferred to tell the truth to the people regarding the character of the crisis and the possible outcomes which are connected to the negative developments in the Eurozone, regarding the character of the European Union, regarding the need for the unilateral cancellation of the debt, the need for disengagement from the EU, and the struggle for working class-people’s power. We said these things very consciously.

The participation of the KKE in a government to manage the crisis in such a crucial phase, when what is needed is a line of rupture and counterattack , would lead sooner or later to a major defeat for the movement, as the possible participation of the KKE in an untrustworthy government with two faces, one for internal affairs and one for foreign relations, could be used as an alibi for the compromise of the people and the alignment of the government’s political line with the interests of the monopolies.

We salute the members of the party and KNE, the friends and supporters of the party who waged this tough battle, and all those who withstood the pressure and voted for the KKE. We state that the KKE will remain standing despite the reduction of its seats in Parliament, it will continue its intense activity in the movement and will support and strengthen every starting point for struggle and hope.

It is certain that the people in the course of events will remember issues which we posed in both the electoral battles, predictions, warnings concerning the developments in the Eurozone, concerning the possibility of Greece’s involvement in a war, especially after the US elections. And we also believe that even those people who did not vote for the party, even though they appreciate its positions and role, will understand the consequences in the face of the possibility of an anti-memorandum coalition government.

We assure you that we will abide by every thing we said to the people before the elections. We will be in the front line in every struggle, we will support every militant initiative regarding the acute problems which are in progress, and we will prepare, to the extent that it depends on us, the people so that they can deal with the new torments which are on the way. We hope that this retreat of the radical orientation, which was particularly marked in the second electoral battle, will not last long, because there can be no “wait and see”, as the negative developments will unfold extremely rapidly.

The KKE considers that the basis for the people’s counterattack must be the workplaces, the sectors and the neighbourhoods. And above all what is most important is the regroupment of the labour and people’s movement, the social alliance, the socio-political alliance that will struggle for the immediate and pressing problems, and will also gather forces for the radical overthrow that is necessary.”

Athens 17/06/2012 THE PRESS OFFICE OF THE CC OF THE KKE