Fresh hopes for the Greek left
There was a time when the country’s left could boast a strong presence in Greece’s national Parliament. The truth is that the left in Greece has been represented by historic personalities of high caliber at very difficult times for the nation. Regrettably, the parties now on the left of the political spectrum have for the most part been trapped in a sterile and nihilist approach. One section of the left is flirting with hooliganism, even providing theoretical cover for the occasional use of violence. Another section, most prominently the Communist Party (KKE), led by Aleka Papariga, has not yet shed the legacy of Stalinism and other obsolete ideals. In this light, one can only welcome the launch of former Synaspismos deputy Fotis Kouvelis’s party of the Democratic Left – a fresh political formation that can potentially express the more modern, healthier and pro-European segment of the left. The country is in great need of a responsible left-of-center opposition such as the one it used to know.