Democratic Left (Greece)
| Democratic Left Δημοκρατική Αριστερά (ΔΗΜΑΡ) Dimokratiki Aristera (DIMAR) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Leader | Fotis Kouvelis |
| Founded | 27 June 2010 |
| Split from | Synaspismós |
| Headquarters | Plateia Viktorias 5, 10 434 Athens |
| Ideology | Democratic socialism,[1] Social democracy,[1] Pro-Europeanism [2][3][4] |
| Political position | Centre-left to Left-wing[2][3] |
| Parliament[5] |
14 / 300
|
| European Parliament |
0 / 22
|
| Regions[6] |
7 / 725
|
| Website | |
| http://www.dimokratikiaristera.gr/ | |
Democratic Left (Greek: Δημοκρατική Αριστερά - ΔΗΜ.ΑΡ., Dimokratiki Aristera, DIMAR) is a democratic socialist and social-democratic political party in Greece.
Contents |
Foundation[edit]
Democratic Left was founded on 27 June 2010 when the Renewal Wing platform of the left-wing party Synaspismós, among them MPs Fotis Kouvelis, Thanasis Leventis, Nikos Tsoukalis, and Grigoris Psarianos - exited Synaspismós at its 6th congress. They were joined by more than 550 individuals.[7]
At a subsequent national conference of the Renewal Wing, 170 members were elected to national policy committee of the new party.[8]
The first conference of the Democratic Left was held on 31 March - 3 April 2011, electing Fotis Kouvelis as its leader with 97.31% of the vote.[9]
On 22 March 2012, six MPs from the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) joined the party,[10] which raised the total number of Democratic Left MPs to 10, the party was eligible to form a parliamentary group.[5] The minor party Free Citizens also joined the Democratic Left on 22 March 2012.
In the May 2012 elections the Party got 386,116 votes (6.11%) and 19 deputies in the Greek Parliament, making it the 7th biggest party in Greece. In the June 2012 elections, the DL won 17 seats, making it the 6th largest party by seat count.
In November 2012, the party decided to vote abstained/present to the "Labor market reform" and "Midterm fiscal plan 2013-16" negotiated with the Troika,[11][12] while they casted a supportive vote for the "Fiscal budget 2013".[13] As the party did not vote directly against the crucial reforms, it was afterwords possible to continue being a part of the three-party coalition government with New Democracy and PASOK. Following this political line however came at the price. A total of 3 MPs opted to vote against the party line on the reforms, and consequently they were all asked to leave the party, thus reducing the party's total number of MPs from 17 to 14. Democratic Left’s political charter have no paragraphs enabling for the exclusion of MPs from the party, but all three MPs being asked to leave were nevertheless expected to follow the request, as they fundamentally disagreed with the party's political line.[14][15]
Electoral results[edit]
Parliament[edit]
| Election year | # of overall votes | % of overall vote | # of overall seats won | +/- | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 (May) | 386,394 | 6.1 (#7) |
19 / 300
|
||
| 2012 (Jun) | 384,986 | 6.3 (#6) |
17 / 300
|
 2 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b Nordsieck, Wolfram, "Greece", Parties and Elections in Europe, retrieved 15 March 2012
- ^ a b Gilson, George (18 December 2011), "The rise of the left", Athens News, retrieved 25 February 2012
- ^ a b Mac Con Uladh, Damian (3 November 2011), "Where Greece stands", Irish Times, retrieved 15 March 2012
- ^ Malkoutzis, Nick (November 2011), The Greek Crisis and the Politics of Uncertainty, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, retrieved 15 March 2012
- ^ a b "Arrival of new MPs gives Democratic Left parliamentary group". Kathimerini. 22 March 2012.
- ^ The counselors of the Regions.
- ^ "Syriza split creates new party", Kathimerini English Edition, 10 June 2010.
- ^ Τα 170 μέλη της Πανελλαδικής Πολιτικής Επιτροπής
- ^ "Εκλογή Κουβέλη στην προεδρία της Δημοκρατικής Αριστεράς (Kouvelis elected president of Democratic Left)" (in Greek). Kathimerini. 3 April 2011.
- ^ "Στη ΔΗΜΑΡ, 6 πρώην βουλευτές του ΠΑΣΟΚ (6 ex-PASOK MP's to DIMAR)" (in Greek). Eleftheros Typos. 20 March 2012.
- ^ "Greek Parliament passes new austerity package with tiny majority". Kathimerini (English edition). 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ ""Ναι" στο πολυνομοσχέδιο από τη Βουλή" (in Greek). Kathimerini. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 November 2012.
- ^ "Greek coalition wins budget vote comfortably, waits for loan tranche". Kathimerini (English edition). 12 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Democratic Left MP leaves party, goes independent". Athens24.com. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
- ^ "Upheaval in coalition parties after departures". Kathimerini (English edition). 8 November 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
