Greek Elections: Debate on the Deadly Fires Dominate the Campaign

Athens.- Criticism that the New Democracy government failed to respond fast enough – and its suggestions the fires resulted from an organized attack – could hurt the bid for re-election by Karamanlis and his governing conservative party. The devastation infuriated Greeks, who already had been stunned by deadly forest fires in June and July. The fires are dominating political debate before the elections.

New Democracy and PASOK finalized on Friday their candidate lists ahead of the September 16 election as a new VPRC opinion poll indicated that the ruling conservatives are 4 percent ahead of the Socialists.

The survey on behalf of Skai TV and Radio indicated that 42 percent of voters intend to vote for ND and 38 percent for PASOK. The Communist Party (KKE) is on 8.5 percent, Synaspismos Left Coalition on 5 percent and the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) on 4 percent.

Three other opinion polls were published yesterday by MRB, GPO and Alco. They also gave ND a lead of 0.7 to 1.4 percent.

Along with the VPRC poll, they project that LAOS will, for the first time, break the 3 percent threshold and gain seats in Parliament.

This would see five parties gain parliamentary power and could create a tricky situation, depending on the seats gained by the winning party.

The VPRC poll suggests that New Democracy will elect 152 MPs to the 300-seat Parliament. This would give the Conservatives a very slim but workable majority and means they would not have to form a coalition with LAOS.

Of the 1,033 people questioned, 53 percent believe that ND will win the election. Almost half (49 percent) also believe that Costas Karamanlis would be the most suitable prime minister.

Both main parties presented their final 12 election candidates, who have been placed on the State List. This means they will not stand in any specific constituency but will be elected to Parliament based on the proportion of the vote their party receives.

NDʼs top candidates on the list are former leader Miltiades Evert, Public Works Minister Giorgos Souflias, government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos and the former chief of the armed forces Panayiotis Hinofitis.

EU PROMISES AID
Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso flew in a helicopter over wildfire-stricken regions for two hours on Saturday morning to ascertain the extent of the destruction caused and held talks at the Maximos Mansion afterwards.

Speaking after their meeting, and in Greek to give emphasis to his words, Barroso said “Europe is on the side of Greece,” adding that “we are by your side and we shall remain by your side. The problem of Greece is also the problem of Europe.”

Barroso said that it is an unprecedented situation and that the damage is very extensive. He also stressed that when an assessment will have been made of damage caused to the economy and to the environment, the European Commission will activate the Solidarity Fund and whatever else is necessary to help Greece.

Karamanlis underlined that the European Union showed its solidarity immediately and that our partners made a direct contribution to efforts to extinguish the wildfires.

“The European Union is standing by Greece’s side, it is a valuable ally of ours in pursuing without delay the reconstruction of the regions that were burnt,” Karamanlis said.

The prime minister, who termed Barroso his friend, said that the EU “showed its solidarity for Greece’s ordeal” and pointed out that our partners offered valuable assistance to Greek firefighting forces by sending aerial firefighting means and specially trained firefighters.

Main opposition PASOK party leader George Papandreou, who will be presenting his party’s programme on the reconstruction of wildfire-stricken regions in the country during his visit to the prefecture of Ilia on Sunday, met on Saturday with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso.

Papandreou, in his capacity of President of the Socialist International, sent a letter to the leaders and party members of the International on the repercussions of the wildfires in Greece and on the acceptance of the proposal by its Secretary General Louis Ayala for a meeting of the Committee of the Socialist International on the viable World Society at Ancient Olympia.

The PASOK leader stressed in his letter that “in the past days the entire world became a witness of the tragic events that took place in Greece with uncontrollable fires destroying land, animals and, what is worse, costing human lives.”

Papandreou added that “since my country is experiencing the worst diaster since the Second World War, I am taking the courage to appeal to you over the unprecedented destruction that Greece has experienced.”

He concluded by saying in his letter that “let us choose the place of the Olympic Movement and of the Olympic Truce as the place where our Organisation will inaugurate a new political agenda.”

COMMUNIST PARTY

Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga addressed a rally in the Piraeus district of Korydallos on Saturday, criticising both mainstream parties, New Democracy and PASOK, for their election tactics.

Papariga said that this situation is not only due to the wildfires, the tragedy in the Western Peloponnese and in Evia, but also “now they have produced the known danger talk that we will have no stable government, we will have chaos and the lack of governance. They are lying. They merely want to have great strength and to have their hands free.”

The KKE leader stressed that the two mainstream parties “want once again to steal the votes of people who know what they are and on the next day to say once again that 80-85 percent of the people votes for us, not for you communists, therefore the people are pleased.”

Papariga concluded by saying that only KKE is a counterbalance for anti-popular governance and for bipartisan rule, stressing that “only KKE can create a climate of encouragement for the people. The people have the strength and they must use it.”

SYRIZA

Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) President Alekos Alavanos on Saturday presented the party ticket that he is heading during a press conference, saying that it is as dynamic ticket that will win a seat in Iraklio.

Alavanos criticised the two mainstream parties, New Democracy and PASOK, and included their policies on forest protection in his remarks. Referring to the destructive wildfires in the Peloponnese and in Evia, he said that he never imagined that “the state apparatus would be non-existent.”

He also focused on the issue of general elections being set for September 16, stressing that “the prime minister announced the elections during a holiday period, a tourist one” and during a high risk period for wildfires.