Greek voters who have not decided yet for which party they will cast their vote, they cannot complain about lack of choices. Nineteen political parties and five alliances of political parties have submitted their documents to Greece’s Supreme Court (Areios Pagos) and seek the court’s approval to run for the snap elections on September 20th 2015. They all aim for a place in the Greek Parliament sun, a chance to influence domestic policies, so to say, even though only 7-8 of them are expected to pass the 3% threshold, should we want to believe the public opinion polls.
From far-left to far-right, from liberal to just patriotic, the spectrum of candidate parties is huge considering that Greece is a small country. Many of the parties are completely unknown to the voters and they consider marginal.
Interesting political alliances
The party that ruled Greece for several decades PASOK is running for elections in the form of alliance together with Democratic Left.
The Greek Pirate Party runs in alliance with the Democrats and the Society of Values.
Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow (ANTARSYA) that was claimed ot cooperate with Lafazanis’ Popular Unity decided to run for the elections together with Workers Revolutionary Party (EEK) and the Trotskyists.
PA.E.KE is the party with the longest name: Independent Renewing Left, Renewing Right, Renewing PASOK, Renewing New Democracy, No to War, Party Operation I give land plots, I write off debts, I save Lives, Farmers’ and Workers’ Movement of Greece.
It is a question whether party founder Miltiadis Tzalazidis, 86, can remember the party name which is as long as a train with 25 wagons.
State Funding for political parties
Independently of how many parties run for the elections, only those with representatives in the Greek Parliament will have a piece from the state funding pie.
Interim Minister of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction Antonis Manitakis signed yesterday Monday the decision on how to distribute a total of €3.532 million of state funding among seven political parties elected in January 25th 2015.
But the seven parties will receive only 50% of this amount, that is €1.766 million. Also parties that elected candidates in the European Parliament elections will receive a total of 10% of the above amount.
Funding distribution – Greek Parliament MPs
SYRIZA: €702,225.62
New Democracy: €537,365.45
Golden Dawn *: €121,432.76
To Potami: €116,910.77
KKE: €105,737.58
ANEL: €91,822.68
PASOK: €90,505.14
The amount of €353.200 euros will be allocated to political parties that have elected members in the European Parliament elections of May 25, 2014 as follows:
SYRIZA: €113,199.14
New Democray: €96,840.56
Golden Dawn: €40,028.95
Elia**: €34,182.66
To Potami: €28,154.82
KKE: €26,044.59
ANEL: €14,749.28
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* The payment of the funding to Golden Dawn will be temporary suspended because of the persecution of party leaders on charges of establishing a criminal organization. The trial is still continuing. The total amount of €161,461.71 will be withheld and paid to the party when legal restrictions are lifted.
** Elia – The Olive Tree – Democratic Alignment (Ελιά – Δημοκρατική Παράταξη) was a centre-left political and electoral alliance in Greece. The alliance was founded at a congress in Athens on 7 March 2014 to contest the upcoming European Parliament elections. The alliance included the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) and minor allies, the Agreement for the New Greece, Dynamic Greece and the New Reformers.
In the May 2014 European elections, the Olive Tree list came in fourth place nationally, receiving 8.0% of the vote, electing 2 MEPs.
However The Olive Tree does not run for the Sept 20th elections…
Therefore…
… Don’t ask me questions I am unable to answer.
I have no idea what the Olive Tree will do with the money or why it should receive the money as these are national and not EP elections.
Neither do I know what will happen with the remaining 40% of the state elections funding, that is some €1.5 million.
Nor can I tell you why the Ministry speaks of a state fund of €3.5 million, when it’s only approximately 2 million euros will be distributed.
