February 9, 1957
SPYROS MARKEZINIS: The leader of the Progressive Party, Mr Spyros Markezinis, gave a speech at the Attikon cinema on Sunday, setting out his views on domestic and foreign policy. He was extremely critical of the government, particularly of Prime Minister Constantine Karamanlis and referred to Greece’s position on the world stage, Greek-Turkish relations, the Cyprus issue, the economic situation in Greece and the electoral system. Markezinis concluded that Greece should be an equal partner in the Western family and not subjugated to the United States, that policy regarding Turkey was bankrupt because it was politically inactive and passive, that the government’s goal on the Cyprus issue was capitulation and an abandonment of self-determination, that the Greek economy should stand on its own two feet, that a government reshuffle was unacceptable and that elections should be held as soon as possible under a caretaker government with a simple proportional system to protect the nation from the risk of extra-parliamentary solutions.
