State lists should be respected
The lists of state deputies announced by Greece?s two main parties — PASOK and New Democracy — have come as a major disappointment.
The lists, which are made up of candidates who are not elected directly but according to the percentage that their party gains in the polls, were first introduced by late statesman Constantine Karamanlis.
The idea was to allow individuals who are not career politicians — such as distinguished personalities from the arts, the sciences and business — to engage with domestic politics.
And it worked.
For a number of years, the state deputies? lists of PASOK and New Democracy hosted eminent individuals who deserved a role in politics without having to go through the stress of the election race.
Now that we really need fresh blood in politics, the institution is being reduced to an exercise of public relations or to a means of placating partisan figures.
It?s a far cry from what Karamanlis had in mind. It?s a far cry from what people would expect today.
