Costas Karamanlis greeted the victory of his center-right New Democracy party in Sunday’s general election as “a new start for all Greeks.” But is it? Karamanlis, is the nephew of Constantine Karamanlis, a former prime minister and president. The man he defeated, socialist leader George Papandreou, is the son and grandson of former prime ministers.
Greek politics seems set in a dynastic mould which is reflected in the way the poorest member of the European Union conducts its affairs. Though Brussels has encouraged institutional reform — particularly of the taxation service — Greece remains a state where political connections right down to village level count more than a citizen’s entitlements under the law.
The change of government after ten years of left-wing rule by Papandreou’s Pasok party will nonetheless perhaps mean a change in the round of influence peddlers and fixers. Private banks and big business are hoping their views will now count in Athens. Meanwhile government employees in the bloated and over-manned state sectors, including banks and shipbuilding, will be worried about their jobs. Unions have already called a general strike for March 30 to protest the cuts and privatization promised by Karamanlis during the election campaign. Any strike could have serious consequences for Athens’s preparations for this summer’s Olympics which are already behind schedule. It was significant that even before making his victory speech, Greece’s new premier had a meeting with the man in overall charge of the huge Olympic construction program which has turned the capital into a vast building site.
Karamanlis may find himself under huge pressure to make immediate concessions to the unions in order to avoid the disastrous humiliation of an Athens with unfinished facilities for the world’s greatest sporting event. However any strike would be quite wrong. Greek voters have just spoken and they want change. The powerful unions could at least have waited to see the details of the new government’s plans. By going on the offensive immediately, they are showing contempt for the decision of the majority of the Greek electorate. They are also showing scant regard for their country’s standing in the world.
With the Olympics and a new free market government, Greece has a truly unique opportunity to improve its poor record for inward investment and its reputation for organizational and bureaucratic ineptitude. If the trade unions press ahead with their strike and jeopardize the Olympics, it will be a clear sign that nothing has changed. Greece will be set to remain a chaotic minor economy, the sick man of Europe, still polarized between two political dynasties that cannot work together for the greater good. Over and above the frantic drive to finish the buildings on time, Athens faces the greatest security challenge ever for any Olympics. It would be good to think that all Greeks could put aside their differences and unite to make the international sports extravaganza an outstandingly successful and safe event.
