At last, politics prior to the election
It is a sign of how much Greece’s democracy has matured that these elections are the most low-key in memory and perhaps even in the modern state’s history. Despite the tension between the opposition and the government over the involvement of some pension funds in suspect bond purchases and the state’s inadequate handling of the devastating fires, the two main parties are so closely related on major policy issues that this is no clash of different world views. As a member of the EU, the country’s course (from its economy to its foreign policy) is mostly charted. Gone are the days of great ideological differences. The main concern of the two main party leaders is to persuade voters that their party is best suited to manage the country’s affairs. But no matter how boring the contest may be, this is a national election, a reshuffling of the political cards by voters and, as such, is the paramount and most exciting expression of democracy. That is why – irrespective of «winners» and «losers» – last night’s debate was important: it added an element of competition, to a campaign that had largely been devoid of politics.
