Greece: Possible Scenarios and Hope on the Left

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http://truth-out.org/news/item/9065-greece-possible-scenarios-and-hope-on-the-left

The formation of a coalition government following the legislative elections seems impossible. Despite the resounding success of the anti-free trade capitalism left, the KKE (Greek Communist Party) does not want to negotiate with the other progressive parties, whereas Syriza has just been asked to form a government.

Alixis Tsipras, the leader of the left-wing coalition Syriza, has three days to form a coalition government. The anti-austerity and progressive left-wing coalition, whose member organizations belong to the Party of the European Left group in the European Parliament, together with the French Front de gauche, came in in second place in the legislative elections and has 52 out of 300 seats in Parliament.

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The other important left organization is the KKE (Greek Communist Party). Despite its 26 deputies, it is refusing to enter any governing alliance. In an interview granted recently tol’Humanité, a KKE deputy explained their reasons in these terms: there is the left which wants to make capitalism more human, the compromising left (Syriza), and there is the left that favors a break and class struggle (the KKE), which wants the total overthrow of capitalism. For the KKE, these two lefts are irreconcilable.

What will happen if no left-wing governing coalition can be formed?

In an interview granted to l’Humanité on May 9, Syriza deputy Dimitris Papadimoulis explained, in no uncertain terms, the only three scenarios that are possible. The least probable is for the free trade capitalism parties to line up behind the radical left and accept its program. Another scenario, which seems every bit as complicated, would be for Pasok and New Democracy to find a third ally and continue their policy, although a majority of Greeks have rejected it. Finally, there is a hypothesis that contains a grain of hope – if no government can be formed, new legislative elections will be held in mid-June.

This is a nail-biter. Along with the news today that Greece will very probably be returning to the drachma, there should be a lot going on in the next few months.