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PASOK's president George Papandreou speaking in Athens (REUTERS).
When Costas Karamanlis became Prime Minister in March 2004, Greece was reaching one of the most glorious events of its modern history: the Athens Olympics. That had provided to the country a strong aim for more economic development, for the transformation of Athens into a modern metropolis, for more jobs and highly tourist promotion in global media. However, the newly elected government of New Democracy had to invent a new, fresh, aim for the country after the end of the Olympics. But that didn't happen. On the contrary, the conservative government of Mr.Karamanlis wrecked in the ocean of a singular post-Olympic misery, being denigrated by dozens of serious scandals.
Numerous cases contributed to the deconstruction of Mr.Karamanlis' doctrine for "modest and humble" governance, creating an environment of scandals throughout the political system. On March 2005 the "Greek Watergate" case dominated the political scene, while a few months later the government was accused for kidnapping and interrogating five Pakistani immigrants without official notice. The big tragedy came on August 2007 when Greece mourned the loss of 84 people, after massive forest fires burned an area of almost 670,000 acres across the country. Three years after the glorious Olympics, the site of Ancient Olympia in Pelopponnese was under the siege of flames -- not the olympic ones though, but those of the fires. But suprisingly, despite the huge anger and dissapointment, New Democracy won the election of September with a fragile majority.
Nonetheless, the second part of Karamanlis government was proved much of same. The controversial land deal case in September 2008 (Vatopedi monastery traded low-value land for high-value state property in an allegedly unfair deal with the government) led to the resignation of two Ministers and caused turbulence in Greek media.
On the same time, being in the storm of global financial crisis, Greek economy showed signals of disconcerting recession; growth dropped to 2.9% while the EU had already placed the country under its Excessive Deficit Procedure. But most importantly, the middle and lower social classes felt the pressure of government's fiscal policy, creating mounting disenchantment within Greek society. Quite obvious if we take into account that Karamanlis' government decided to prepare a 28 billion Euros rescue plan for the Banks, instead of relieving the working classes.
As a result of the above, an event could be the fuse that could trigger the bomb of rage. That happened on the 6th of December 2008, when 16 year-old Alexis was killed by a police officer in central Athens. But beyond that tragic event, there were deeper reasons which prompted many Greeks into a mass -- and in some cases violent - reaction against the government. The riots were actually the proof that the country is under a severe institutional crisis, mainly as a result of moral corruption which dominates the Greek political system during the last decades.
In the shadow of scandals and economic recession, Premier Karamanlis decided to go to an early election on October 4th, asking from the Greeks a brand new opportunity. But, for Mr.Karamanlis and his government, it seems to be too late for a third chance.
A street poster showing Premier Costas Karamanlis with the heading "the responsible decision".
The leader of PASOK George Papandreou, son of the late Socialist Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou, has promised to pull the country out of the crisis and to tackle corruption, proposing a new model of governance. Two of his major arguments have to do with the crack on tax evasion as well as with the reformation of Greece's public sector. PASOK pledges to raise taxes on the wealthy and spend more for the public sector including Health and Education systems. In his recent speech during the annual International Fair in Thessaloniki, Mr.Papandreou announced a package of new economic measures and presented -- like Barack Obama -- a program for the first 100 days in office.
Like in 1981 - when Andreas Papandreou expressed the motto of "Allagi" (Change) thus winning a landslide victory - PASOK offers a new hope for change and the majority of the voters seem to be attracted by such a perspective. But, actually, apart from the tackling of recession and beyond the effort for a modern and effective social state, Papandreou's new government will have to do something more difficult: to find and clearly express a new, post-Olympic, vision for Greece. In a few words, to find nation's next big aim. That aim will be the moving wheel of the country towards progress and success in all aspects of political, social and economic life.
What remains to be answered is if the new PASOK of George Papandreou is capable of transforming the slogan of the ambitious, new "Change" into practice.
The Greek parliamentary elections will take place on Sunday 4th of October 2009 with more than 30 parties participating. The major parties include New Democracy (ND), Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS).
