ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

**1985 Greek Parliamentary Election**

The 1985 Greek parliamentary election took place on June 2, 1985, to renew the 300 seats of the Council of the Hellenes. The election was made three months in advance by decision of the Andreas Papandréu government, taking advantage of an alleged crisis in the opposition for the socialist government's refusal to reelect Constantine Karamanlis as President of the Republic.

**Results**

The official Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) won the victory by an absolute majority, with 45.82% of the votes and 161 seats. Although he received a considerable increase in votes compared to the previous elections, PASOK lost 11 seats to the opposition New Democracy (ND), which, beyond expectations, managed to shape itself as an extremely strong opposition with 40.85% of the votes and 126 seats.

The Communist Party of Greece (KKE) won 9.89% of the votes and 12 seats, losing one in respect of the previous elections, while a dissenting faction of communism, the Communist Party of Greece-Interior (KKE Int.), won a seat with only 1.84% of the votes.

**Context**

In the previous elections, held in 1981, the socialist party PASOK won an overwhelming victory, bringing Andreas Papandréu to the position of prime minister and displacing the government's New Democracy party for the first time, leading to the first peaceful transition of power in almost two decades in the country's history.

PASOK's most radical campaign promises were to withdraw Greece from NATO and the European Common Market, which it had entered a few months before the elections. Although he finally did not do either, Papandréu's first government would later be remembered as "the best government Greece has ever had" in terms of the democratic period started in 1974.

A number of socio-liberal reforms were carried out: legalization of civil marriage, a new family law, and the nationalization of small private enterprises.

**Background**

The Greek political regime was de facto a parliamentary democracy, but the 1975 constitution gave the President of the Republic extensive powers under an article "interpretable" where the country was defined as "parliamentary and presidential democracy" or "parliamentary and republican democracy".

Constantine Karamanlis was elected president on May 15, 1980, after he resigned from the post of Prime Minister, with his mandate to complete and fulfill the terms of the previous government.

**Campaign**

The election campaign was marked by a strong performance by Papandréu's PASOK, which won an absolute majority of the votes. The opposition New Democracy, led by Georgios Rallis, struggled to gain traction, and its leader, Mitsotakis, faced doubts about his future as party leader.

Papandréu's gamble worked to his advantage because he gained from far-left voting blocks covering the losses from the centrist voters, and appealed to socialist voters who rejected Karamanlis' perceived hindrance of PASOK's policies.

**Aftermath**

The election marked a significant shift in Greek politics, with Papandréu's PASOK emerging as the dominant force. The opposition New Democracy, led by Mitsotakis, was forced to re-evaluate its strategy and tactics.

Papandréu's victory also had significant implications for Greece's economy, which was facing a severe crisis at the time. Papandréu touted the loan as a life-saver for Greece's economy, arguing that it would help stabilize the country's finances and prevent further economic collapse.

The election results were seen as a major victory for Papandréu and his party, but also raised concerns about the future of Greek politics and the role of the opposition.