50 Years Ago Today
VENIZELOS RESIGNS: As of noon yesterday the country finds itself faced with the results of the long-term political crisis. Prime Minister Sophocles Venizelos, following the announcement of the final results of the election, submitted his resignation to the king yesterday afternoon. (…) The king will have to choose between one of the two following solutions: To instruct Greek Rally party leader Mr. Alexandros Papagos to dissolve Parliament or else to instruct EPEK leader Nikolaos Plastiras to form a government in coalition with the Liberals (headed by Sophocles Venizelos). RESULTS: According to an official announcement from the Interior Ministry, 1,713,787 people around the country voted in the September 9 elections. The final results are as follows: Greek Rally 36.4 percent of the vote and 110 seats, EPEK, 23.5 percent and 72 seats, Liberals 18.9 percent and 56 seats, EDA 10.5 percent and nine seats, People’s Party 6.6 percent and two seats, Farmers’ Party 1.25 percent and one seat, George Papandreou 2.1 percent and no seat. Total number of seats: 250. MOBILIZATION OF STRIKERS: The Defense Ministry, in accordance with the order to mobilize striking bank workers, has drawn up a list of male staff in the three banks – Bank of Greece, National and Agriculture Bank – and has sent them to the military authorities. (…) The disagreement is not only a moral one. It is primarily political. The moderates fear that overstepping the mark could, politically speaking, boomerang. The White House does not wish to present the campaign as a clash of religions or civilizations, yet the danger remains. Such a development would cause the anti-terrorist alliance to unravel. The Europeans would start to grumble. In Islamic countries which have aligned themselves with the USA (particularly Pakistan), political destabilization would be a daily prospect and terrorism could witness an upsurge…
