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Centre Union
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Centre Union
The Centre Union (Greek: Ένωσις Κέντρου (EK), romanized: Énosis Kéntrou) was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.
The Centre Union was a political party in Greece in the 1960s which held office from 1963 to 1965 and was nominally in power from 1965 to 1967. The party was centrist, though elements of the far-right and the left also joined. The party fractured following its leader Georgios Papandreou's resignation after a disagreement with King Constantine II who clashed with Papandreou on how to handle the armed forces. Papandreou was succeeded by several shaky governments which relied on the votes of the opposition and defectors from the Centre Union. The turmoil surrounding Papandreou's resignation became known as the 'Apostasy' which led directly to the Greek military junta of 1967-1974.
The Centre Union was founded in September 1961, six weeks before the elections that same year. The forces of the centre consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party (Fileleftheron Dimokratikon Komma), a splinter party from the Liberal Party surrounding Georgios Papandreou, the Liberal Party (Komma Fileleftheron) of Sofoklis Venizelos and the New Political Forces (Nea Politiki Kinisis). These parties appeared in the wake of the 1958 legislative election which resulted in the Liberal Party, under the joint leadership of Venizelos and Papandreou, coming third, having been eclipsed by the socialist United Democratic Left (Eniaa Dimokratiki Aristera). Added on the centre-left were the National Progressive Centre Union (Ethniki Proodeftiki Enosis Kentrou), the Party of Peasants and Workers (Komma Agrotikon kai Ergazomenon) and Ilias Tsirimokos' Democratic Union party (Dimokratiki Enosis). On the right were Stefanos Stefanopoulos’ Popular Social Party (Laikon Koinonikon Komma), a breakaway group from the Greek Rally, and the Party of the Nationally Minded (Komma Ethnikiphronon). Smaller, less influential figures were brought into the fold, namely Stylianos Allamanis and Pafsanias Katsotas. All constituent parts recognised the sole leadership of Georgios Papandreou.
Upon receiving the leadership of the Centre Union, Georgios Papandreou declared his immediate objective to be the reduction of the EDA vote to less than 20% so that the two 'nationally-minded' parties, EK and the ruling National Radical Union (Ethniki Rizospastiki Enosis, ERE), could contest the elections within the framework of democracy.
Of the two major parties, the Centre Union had a more cohesive party structure. It had an official constitution, membership provisions, professional cadres, national conventions, a youth wing and formal procedures for the succession of leaders. However, not a single meeting of the highest authority in the party, the congress, ever took place.
In anticipation of the next elections, the government of Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis announced intentions of enacting a new electoral law: the proposed law was set before parliament and on 6 May, after lengthy debate, it was passed. A system of 'reinforced' proportional representation was introduced, which gave minor parties a slight advantage in comparison with the previous law.
King Paul, in accordance with political traditions in Greece, appointed a 'service' government headed by the chief of the royal household, General Konstantinos Dovas, to oversee the campaign period to ensure impartial conduct of the election as it was feared that the ruling party may try and tamper with the results.
On 29 September, the results were fully counted: the ERE received 50.8 percent of votes cast, equating to 176 seats; the Centre Union, in collaboration with Spyros Markezinis' Progressive Party, garnered 33.7 percent of the popular vote translating to 100 seats. The majority of the remaining votes went to the left-wing Pandemocratic Agrarian Front of Greece. Immediately, the results were denounced by the extreme left and the Centre Union as illegitimate; Papandreou proclaimed that the results were 'a product of violence and fraud,' thus inaugurating Papandreou's 'unrelenting struggle' for free and fair elections. Meanwhile, several days after the election, deputy leader of the EK, Sofoklis Venizelos, declared that the EK was fighting more than just the ERE, but also 'the General Staff of the Army, the Central Intelligence Agency, the gendarmerie, the National Security Battalions and other dark forces.' General Dovas complained that all of Papandreou's demands prior to the election had been satisfied and pointed out that abstentions had been at a fifteen-year low.
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Centre Union
The Centre Union (Greek: Ένωσις Κέντρου (EK), romanized: Énosis Kéntrou) was a major centrist political party in Greece, created in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou.
The Centre Union was a political party in Greece in the 1960s which held office from 1963 to 1965 and was nominally in power from 1965 to 1967. The party was centrist, though elements of the far-right and the left also joined. The party fractured following its leader Georgios Papandreou's resignation after a disagreement with King Constantine II who clashed with Papandreou on how to handle the armed forces. Papandreou was succeeded by several shaky governments which relied on the votes of the opposition and defectors from the Centre Union. The turmoil surrounding Papandreou's resignation became known as the 'Apostasy' which led directly to the Greek military junta of 1967-1974.
The Centre Union was founded in September 1961, six weeks before the elections that same year. The forces of the centre consisted of the Liberal Democratic Party (Fileleftheron Dimokratikon Komma), a splinter party from the Liberal Party surrounding Georgios Papandreou, the Liberal Party (Komma Fileleftheron) of Sofoklis Venizelos and the New Political Forces (Nea Politiki Kinisis). These parties appeared in the wake of the 1958 legislative election which resulted in the Liberal Party, under the joint leadership of Venizelos and Papandreou, coming third, having been eclipsed by the socialist United Democratic Left (Eniaa Dimokratiki Aristera). Added on the centre-left were the National Progressive Centre Union (Ethniki Proodeftiki Enosis Kentrou), the Party of Peasants and Workers (Komma Agrotikon kai Ergazomenon) and Ilias Tsirimokos' Democratic Union party (Dimokratiki Enosis). On the right were Stefanos Stefanopoulos’ Popular Social Party (Laikon Koinonikon Komma), a breakaway group from the Greek Rally, and the Party of the Nationally Minded (Komma Ethnikiphronon). Smaller, less influential figures were brought into the fold, namely Stylianos Allamanis and Pafsanias Katsotas. All constituent parts recognised the sole leadership of Georgios Papandreou.
Upon receiving the leadership of the Centre Union, Georgios Papandreou declared his immediate objective to be the reduction of the EDA vote to less than 20% so that the two 'nationally-minded' parties, EK and the ruling National Radical Union (Ethniki Rizospastiki Enosis, ERE), could contest the elections within the framework of democracy.
Of the two major parties, the Centre Union had a more cohesive party structure. It had an official constitution, membership provisions, professional cadres, national conventions, a youth wing and formal procedures for the succession of leaders. However, not a single meeting of the highest authority in the party, the congress, ever took place.
In anticipation of the next elections, the government of Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis announced intentions of enacting a new electoral law: the proposed law was set before parliament and on 6 May, after lengthy debate, it was passed. A system of 'reinforced' proportional representation was introduced, which gave minor parties a slight advantage in comparison with the previous law.
King Paul, in accordance with political traditions in Greece, appointed a 'service' government headed by the chief of the royal household, General Konstantinos Dovas, to oversee the campaign period to ensure impartial conduct of the election as it was feared that the ruling party may try and tamper with the results.
On 29 September, the results were fully counted: the ERE received 50.8 percent of votes cast, equating to 176 seats; the Centre Union, in collaboration with Spyros Markezinis' Progressive Party, garnered 33.7 percent of the popular vote translating to 100 seats. The majority of the remaining votes went to the left-wing Pandemocratic Agrarian Front of Greece. Immediately, the results were denounced by the extreme left and the Centre Union as illegitimate; Papandreou proclaimed that the results were 'a product of violence and fraud,' thus inaugurating Papandreou's 'unrelenting struggle' for free and fair elections. Meanwhile, several days after the election, deputy leader of the EK, Sofoklis Venizelos, declared that the EK was fighting more than just the ERE, but also 'the General Staff of the Army, the Central Intelligence Agency, the gendarmerie, the National Security Battalions and other dark forces.' General Dovas complained that all of Papandreou's demands prior to the election had been satisfied and pointed out that abstentions had been at a fifteen-year low.
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