Greek legislative election, 1963

The parliamentary elections in Greece in 1963 was held on 3 November 1963. Winner of the election was founded in 1961 by Georgios Papandreou Enosis Kendrou (EK, Centre Union), which won a relative majority of votes ( 42.04 %) and of parliamentary seats (138 seats), the absolute majority (151 seats) but missed. The continuously since 1956 ruling right-wing Ethniki Enosis Rizospastiki (ERE, National Radical Union) lost the 1956, 1958 and 1961 -won an absolute majority votes by significant losses ( -11.44 % ) and therefore the loss of 44 seats in Parliament. The parliamentary majorities for right-wing parties since 1952 ended with the election of 1963., The Left Party Eniea Dimokratiki Aristera (Greek Ενιαία Δημοκρατική Αριστερά ΕΔΑ, Union of Democratic Left EDA) also gained six seats, could the vote share of 1961 be incurred under its participation electoral alliance Pandimokratiko keep Agrotiko Metopo ( Pandemokratische Peasant front) just with 14.34 % in 1963 compared to 14.63 % in 1961.

The EK summarized the previously individual parties of the center, the left conservatives and the conservative left in a party together. In the EK party, founded by Nikolaos Plastiras EPEK, the Liberal Party founded by Sophoklis Venizelos of the postwar years and the Democratic Socialist Party and Liberal Democratic Union of Georgios Papandreou went on. In addition to these parties of the center, the EC also included liberal conservatives like Konstantinos Mitsotakis and Stephanos Stephanopoulos, who faced the ERE and Karamanlis in opposition. They formed the right wing of the party to the EC. The left wing of the party was represented by the son of Georgios Papandreou, Andreas Papandreou. In this constellation, the EC had entered with a possible broad spectrum of voters in the middle as well as conservative and left bearing a broadly based party. At the same time the party had strong wings, which were represented by prominent people.

The parliamentary election was held after the reinforced proportional representation. Here, the strongest by votes shares party won more seats in parliament would fall by as their share of the vote. The elections were conducted under the elective. Entitled to vote were men and women over 18 years for the right to vote. Legal bases of choice were the laws 4173/1961 and 4322/1963 published in the Efimeris tis Kyverniseos ( Government Gazette; ) 104 of 11 September 1963.

Trigger for the conduct of the parliamentary elections was the resignation of longtime Prime Minister and Chairman of the ERE Konstantinos Karamanlis. Karamanlis saw in his position after continued criticism from the opposition parties EK and EDA weakened at the election rigging of parliamentary elections in 1961. EK and EDA threw the Karamanlis government before using manipulation and unfair pressure from the army and the intelligence service KYP under the leadership of General Natsinas, an accused of participation in the military coup of March 1951, with use of the plan " Periklis " (a part of Operation Gladio ) the to have falsified election results in 1961 in his favor. The elections were called for example by Papandreou as " Ekloges tis vias ke Nothias " ( elections of violence and fraud ). The opposition boycotted both ceremonial opening of Parliament by King Paul in December 1961 as well as the confidence vote on the Karamanlis government. In March 1962, a special court annulled the results of four polling stations in the Thessaloniki region, because the local police commander had urged voters to deliver the voice for the ERE. The three days later held mass demonstration in Athens against the government was violent, what Papandreou led to the finding that the government could " remain only with the use of force in office. "

The Assassination of or manslaughter on EDA - MPs Grigoris Lambrakis in Thessaloniki in the midst of the election campaign for elections in 1963 and the discovery of the involvement of state security bodies to the attack on Lambrakis by the coroner Christos Sartzetakis intensified the criticism of Karamanlis, which in the accusation Papandreou ' culminated, Karamanlis was the " moral instigator of the assassination of Lambrakis. " Just before the elections in 1963 became the Karamanlis in conflict with the royal house, especially the wayward Queen Frederica, on the date of execution of a royal state visit to Britain. Karamanlis resigned as Prime Minister back on June 17 in 1963 and left Greece in the direction of Switzerland. A transitional government led by former Trade Minister Panagiotis Pipinelis (ERE ) ready before the elections in November 1963. The amendment of the electoral law in favor of the ERE could not enforce the Pipinelis government. He resigned on 29 September 1963. The new Prime Minister Stylianos Mavromichalis led a transitional government until the swearing in of George Papandreou as the Greek Prime Minister on 8 November 1963.

For election campaign Karamanlis returned from Switzerland to Greece. After the election defeat of his EUA he left Greece and went into exile in France after Paris until his return in 1974. The office of party chairman of the ERE took Panagiotis Kanellopoulos.

The Papandreou government did not last long due to lack of absolute majority of the EK. While Papandreou won on December 24, 1963, a vote of confidence in parliament with 167 votes to 130. Nevertheless, he showed the outcome disappointed: 28 votes EDA had supported him in the vote of confidence. Papandreou wanted to " not let establish the fate of his government to the support of communists" - and stepped back. A transitional government was preparing new elections for February 16, 1964.

Swell

• Voigt, Werner: Results of elections and referendums. In: Grothuse, Klaus- Detlev (ed.): Southeast Europe Guide. Volume III. Greece. Publisher Cambridge University Press, Göttingen 1980. 674 S. ISBN 3-525-36202-1.
• Pantelis, Antonis M.; Koutsoumpinas, Stefanos I.; Gerozizis, Triantafyllos A.: Texts of Constitutional History. Volume 2 p 852