Greece Swings to the Left

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Increasing hostility to the main Greek bourgeois party led by Prime Minister Karamanlis was indicated in the results of last week's General Election.

But the conscious attempt by Stalinist and left-reformist parties to avoid a direct challenge to Karamanlis natant that remedible alre stood opposed to the increasingly repressive and • austere PalLy Biggest electoral gains in settlement which involves the Patriotic Front.

The exclusion of the Patriotic Front leaders from an agreed settlement would, they fear, make a prolonged civil war more likely, opening up the danger of the liberation struggle turning into an anti-capitalist one. 4.

Appealing Thus, although the Patriotic Front leaders have claimed they reject the imperialist plan they and their squabbling allies in the 'front line states are still in general lining up behind it.

In effect they a re appealthe leftward sw was the heterogeneous 'PASOK' grouping, whose social base spans radicalised peasants in the countryside, petty bourgeois layers in the towns, and certain sections of skilled and other workers.

Mish mash

PASOK's programme is a mish-mash of utopian socialism and unbridled chauvinism in regard to the Cyprus question. It opposes both the Common Market and NATO, and is commonly equated with the British Tribune Group.

Muzorewa with Callaghan ones who can install them in power in place of Smith or a Smith-Muzorewa-Sithole alliance.

Increasingly all sections of the black leadership are revealing their opportunism and their readiness to compromise the national liberation struggle of the Zimbabwean people None of them can be trusted by the Zimbabwe workers and peasants to fight uncompromisingly for their independent interests. They will need a Trotskyist party fighting for a socialist Zimbabwe and against all forms of unprincipled alliance; with the bourgeoisie if this is to be PASOK almost doubled its vote in this election, taking 25.3% and gaining 76 parliamentary seats.

The other workers' party to gain from the election was the Moscow-led Communist Party (Exterior) which won 9.3% of the votes and increased its parliamentary seats from 5 to 11.

Part of the reason for this increase of support for one of the most diehard of parties defending Stalinist orthodoxy must be the decision of the self-styled "Eurocommunist" Communist Party of the Interior to enter a Popular Front electoral bloc with four bourgeois parties, calling itself the "Alliance of Progressives and the Left".

Sharp setback

This bid for bourgeois respectability met a sharp setback as polls showed support of only 2.7% of the electorate-bringing a loss of four parliamentary seats.

As the CP Interior leaders cuddle closer to their "own" bourgeoisie, their slender base of support is beginning to crumble.

PASOK on the other hand, gained support both trom Karamanlis' "New Demoстасу" and from the liberal bourgeois party headed by George Mavros, which slumped from 42 to 15 seats in parliament.

But the other side of this left swing was a significant growth in support for the extreme right National Front.

Class tension

In their first appearance after splitting with Karmanlis the NF gained five seats and 6.8% of the votes for their demand of an amnesty for the Junta's supporters.

Karamanlis has thus retained power under conditions of increasing class tension in Greece, in which the brazen Popular Frontism of the CP Interior has been rejected ard the brazen left demagogy of PASOK Karamanlis It will be necessary to ensure in the struggle for demands to protect the working class that the PASOK and Stalinist leaders are exposed as determined not to challenge Karamanlis or give the slightest independent lead to Greek workers.

Diplomatic manoeuvres continue following Egyptian President Sadat's trip to Israel. Svria howerer seems to

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