The many claimants of victory
Legislative efforts to shield the state against the far-right failed and the seed of fascism was not pulled up by the roots. So what if one of neo-Nazi Golden Dawn’s most prominent lieutenants was jailed? He’s still pulling the strings from his cell. Accounting for all three parties from this part of the spectrum that made it into Parliament (Spartans, Greek Solution and Niki), the far-right garnered around 13% of the vote on Sunday.
The pockets of far-right ideology in Greek society are therefore not only strong, they are also apparently transforming and mutating; they are certainly multiplying. And because we have a habit of negating reality through sheer fantasy even though it always charges back, it would be advisable to start thinking about the consequences of this truth rather than boasting that the extreme right is gone or has changed.
For level-headed voters, there was nothing to celebrate in the way the far-right surged into Parliament
Greece was cut in two on Sunday and not because it was divided this time, but because New Democracy’s celebrations for its landslide victory and its admittedly impressive performance seemed to many so entirely out of place. For level-headed voters, there was nothing to celebrate in the way the far-right surged into Parliament. Conservative officials and cadres repeated the same party line on all the evening TV shows after the party’s victory, arguing that they do not believe the result shows a more conservative bent in society but “collective maturity” and that “New Democracy was rewarded for being pragmatic and consistent” etc.
Yet however important the win with over 40% of the vote was for the party, and however central the political decision not to discuss the issue of the far-right on the same day as such a great performance, ND’s stance was disappointing, to say the least. Even when asked persistently by the journalists to comment on this development, they brushed off the far-right’s 13% and sought to draw attention to ND’s achievement. So what if abstention was high (hence participation limited), so what if Ilias Kasidiaris celebrated the Spartans’ win from his cell, posting “We won” on social media?
