Greek legislative election, 2009
Encyclopedia
Parliamentary elections
were held in Greece
on 4 October 2009. An election was not required until September 2011.
On 2 September Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced he would request President Karolos Papoulias
to dissolve Parliament and call an election. Parliament was dissolved on 9 September.
Voting is mandatory; however there are no sanctions or penalties for not voting.
Although pollsters were actively polling until 2 October their findings were no longer made public within Greece, in accordance with the electoral law.
The next set of published predictions were the election day exit poll
s, announced starting at 7 PM, 4 October.
Some pollsters are extrapolating election tallies based on their findings, and have publicized their final predictions on how many parliamentary seats each party will win:
According to the constitutional principle of the dedēlōménē, a party or a coalition needs a parliamentary majority of 151 total seats in order to form a government. In the eventuality that no party or coalition are able to secure 151 seats, another election will be called. For this occasion the electoral law specifies that the leading party will receive a 50-seat bonus.
The revised results of the exit poll conducted jointly by pollsters Alco, GPO, MARC, Metron Analysis, MRB, Opinion, and RASS were made public at 8:50 PM Eastern European DST. The margin of error claimed is less than 0.5%:
The statistical projections by Singular Logic and the Ministry of Interior, based on actual returns, were made public at 9 PM Eastern European DST. The margin of error claimed is 0.3%:
Elections in Greece
Elections in Greece gives information on election and election results in Greece.-Election of the legislature:The Greek Parliament has 300 members, elected for a four-year term by a system of 'reinforced' proportional representation in 56 constituencies, 48 of which are multi-seat and 8 single-seat...
were held in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
on 4 October 2009. An election was not required until September 2011.
On 2 September Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis announced he would request President Karolos Papoulias
Karolos Papoulias
-Honours:*Knight Grand Cross with Grand Cordon of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic *Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav *Knight of the Order of the Elephant- External links :*...
to dissolve Parliament and call an election. Parliament was dissolved on 9 September.
Voting is mandatory; however there are no sanctions or penalties for not voting.
Participating parties
A total of 23 parties participated in the elections. Six of them participated in at most two parliamentary constituencies.- New DemocracyNew Democracy (Greece)New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
- Panhellenic Socialist MovementPanhellenic Socialist MovementThe Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
- Communist Party of GreeceCommunist Party of GreeceFounded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :...
- Popular Orthodox RallyPopular Orthodox RallyThe Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
- Coalition of the Radical LeftCoalition of the Radical LeftThe Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece...
- Ecologists Greens
- Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of GreeceMarxist-Leninist Communist Party of GreeceThe Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece better known by its acronym M-L KKE , is a Anti-Revisionist Marxist-Leninist and Maoist, communist political party in Greece....
- Communist Party of Greece (Marxist-Leninist)
- Workers Revolutionary PartyWorkers Revolutionary Party (Greece)The Workers Revolutionary Party is a Trotskyist communist political party in Greece, taking part in the elections independently , since the departure from Radical Left Front coalition in spring of 2009 .The party's newspaper is Νέα Προοπτική The Workers Revolutionary Party (EEK: Ergatiko...
- Democratic RevivalDemocratic RevivalThe Democratic Revival is a populist political party in Greece, initially founded in 2004 by Stelios Papathemelis. It was deactivated after its leader participated in the legislative elections of 2004 with New Democracy and was elected MP.The party was reactivated in March 2007...
(Stelios Papathemelis) - Union of CentristsUnion of CentristsThe Union of Centrists is a political party in Greece without parliamentary representation.The party was founded by Vassilis Leventis in 1992 under the title "Union of Centrists and Ecologists". The name was changed shortly after. This party is continued by the old party Center Union.The party...
(Vassilis Leventis) - Popular Union – Chrysi Avyi (Nikolaos Michaloliakos)
- Dimosthenis Vergis – Greek Ecologists
- Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of GreeceOrganization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of GreeceThe Organization for the Reconstruction of the Communist Party of Greece , mostly known by its acronym OAKKE, is a minor Greek political party known for its strong anti-Russian positions....
- Koinonia (Emmanouil Voloudakis)
- Democrats (Δημοκρατικοί) (M. Meletopoulos)
- Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the OverthrowAnticapitalist Left Cooperation for the OverthrowThe Front of the Greek Anticapitalist Left, in Greek Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow is a coalition of radical left political organisations in Greece. The Greek word antarsia means "mutiny"...
(ANTARSYA) - Light – Truth – Justice (Φως – Αλήθεια – Δικαιοσύνη) (Konstantinos Melissourgos)2
- Friends of Man (Φίλοι του Ανθρώπου) (K. Stamoulis)1
- Regional Urban Development (Περιφερειακή Αστική Ανάπτυξη) (South Kolitsi)1
- Old Republic (Παλαιά Δημοκρατία) (A. Daskalopoulos)1
- Smoking Groups for Art and Artistic Creation (Καπνιστικές Ομάδες για την Τέχνη και την Εικαστική Συγκρότηση, ΚΟΤΕΣ), (Nikos Louvros)1
- I Give Away Land, I Give Away Debts - Panagrarian Labour Movement of Greece (Χαρίζω Οικόπεδα, Χαρίζω Χρέη' - Παναγροτικό Εργατικό Κίνημα Ελλάδος), (M. Tzalazidis)2
- 1 The party ran in one parliamentary constituency.
- 2 The party ran in two parliamentary constituencies.
Opinion polls
- According to Greek law, opinion polls may be published no later than a fortnight before election day; in this case until midnight, 18 September.
- Most pollsters use samples between 1000 and 2000 people; they claim a margin of error of approximately ±2%.
- Numbers below are percentages of opinion poll responders; final tally projections are shown in italics.
| Source (pollster/medium Media (communication) In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data... ) |
Date (yy/mm/dd) |
ND New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
PASOK Panhellenic Socialist Movement The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party... |
KKE Communist Party of Greece Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :... |
SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece... |
LAOS Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S... |
EcoGreens Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene... |
Other, or undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kappa Research for To Vima To Vima To Vima is a Greek daily newspaper first published in 1922 by Dimitris Lambrakis, the father of Christos Lambrakis. It is owned by Lambrakis Press Group, a group which also publishes the newspaper Ta Nea, amongst others in its fold of publications... |
09-09-06 | 24.1 | 30.8 | 7.1 | 3 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 28.3 |
| MRB for Real News |
09-09-06 | 27.3 | 33.3 | 6.9 | 3 | 6.2 | 2.1 | |
| RASS for To Paron |
09-09-06 | 29.5 | 35.2 | 7.1 | 3.3 | 6.1 | 3.9 | |
| Alco for Proto Thema Proto Thema To Proto Thema is a Greek newspaper, published every Sunday. It was launched in 2005 by Makis Triantafyllopoulos, Themos Anastasiadis, and Tassos Karamitsos... |
09-09-06 | 27.9 | 34.2 | 7.1 | 3.2 | 5.0 | 2.0 | |
| MARC forEthnos | 09-09-06 | 27.9 | 34.4 | 7.5 | 3.1 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 19.1 |
| GPO for Mega Mega Channel Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A... TV |
09-09-07 | 26.5 | 32.0 | 6.8 | 3.6 | 6.2 | 2.3 | 22.6 |
| MRB forReal FM | 09-09-08 | 27.7 | 33.1 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 1.4 | 21.8 |
| Metron Analysisfor ANT1 ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by... TV |
09-09-08 | 29.6 | 35.7 | 6.3 | 4 | 4.6 | 1.6 | 18.2 |
| Public Issue forSkai Skai TV Skai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens. It is part of the Skai Group one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air transmission, it is... TV and Kathimerini Kathimerini I Kathimerini is a daily morning newspaper published in Athens. It is published in the Greek language, as well as in an abridged English-language edition. The English edition is sold separately in the United States and as a supplement to the International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus. On 2... (final tally projection) |
09-09-10 | 35.5 | 41 | 8.5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | n/a |
| VPRC forwww.tvxs.gr (final tally projection) |
09-09-11 | 35.5 | 41 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 2.5 | n/a |
| Metron Analysisfor ANT1 ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by... TV and Imerisia (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-12 | 30.1 / 35.2 | 36.6 / 42.7 | 6.9 / 8.1 | 3 / 3.5 | 4.9 / 5.7 | 2.6 / 3 | 15.9 / n/a |
| MARC forEthnos (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-13 | 28.9 / 35 | 35 / 40 | 7.6 / 9 | 3.2 / 4.5 | 5.9 / 6.5 | 1.7 / 2 | 17.7 / n/a |
| RASS for To Paron |
09-09-13 | 30.3 | 35.1 | 7.2 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 3.1 | 15.1 |
| MRB for Real News (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-13 | 30.1 / 35.1 | 35.2 / 41 | 7.2 / 8.4 | 3.2 / 3.7 | 5.7 / 6.6 | 2.1 / 2.6 | 16.5 / n/a |
| Alco for Proto Thema Proto Thema To Proto Thema is a Greek newspaper, published every Sunday. It was launched in 2005 by Makis Triantafyllopoulos, Themos Anastasiadis, and Tassos Karamitsos... |
09-09-13 | 29.7 | 35.9 | 7 | 3.1 | 5 | 1.8 | 17.5 |
| Pulse for Apogevmatini Apogevmatini Apogevmatini was a Greek newspaper that was published nationally for decades until its owners latest declared its bankruptcy in November 2010. Its location is 12 Feidiou Street in the downtown area of the capital city of Athens. The newspaper was founded by the Botsis family in the beginning of... |
09-09-13 | 31.2 | 35.9 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 2.5 | 17.4 |
| GPO for Mega Mega Channel Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A... TV |
09-09-14 | 29 | 34.9 | 6.5 | 3 | 5.9 | 2 | 18.7 |
| Metron Analysisfor ANT1 ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by... TV |
09-09-14 | 29.7 | 37.6 | 7.5 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 2 | 14.3 |
| MRB forReal FM | 09-09-14 | 29.6 | 35.3 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 5 | 2.1 | 17.6 |
| MARC forAlpha TV Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens... (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-15 | 29.4 / 34.9 | 36.6 / 41.2 | 7.3 / 8.3 | 3.2 / 4.4 | 5.4 / 6.1 | 2 / 2.5 | 16.1 / n/a |
| VPRC forwww.tvxs.gr (final tally projection) |
09-09-15 | 34.5 | 42.5 | 8.5 | 4 | 5.5 | 2.5 | n/a |
| MRB for www.newstime.gr (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-16 | 29.7 / 35 | 35.9 / 42 | 7.4 / 8 | 3.5 / 4 | 5.5 / 6 | 2.5 / 2.5 | 15.3 / n/a |
| Public Issue forSkai Skai TV Skai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens. It is part of the Skai Group one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air transmission, it is... TV and Kathimerini Kathimerini I Kathimerini is a daily morning newspaper published in Athens. It is published in the Greek language, as well as in an abridged English-language edition. The English edition is sold separately in the United States and as a supplement to the International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus. On 2... (final tally projection) |
09-09-17 | 35.5 | 41.5 | 8.5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | n/a |
| Kappa Research for To Vima To Vima To Vima is a Greek daily newspaper first published in 1922 by Dimitris Lambrakis, the father of Christos Lambrakis. It is owned by Lambrakis Press Group, a group which also publishes the newspaper Ta Nea, amongst others in its fold of publications... |
09-09-18 | 27.6 | 34.4 | 7.3 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 19.6 |
| MARC forEthnos (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-18 | 29.2 / 34.9 | 36.7 / 41.6 | 7.4 / 8.4 | 3.4 / 4.2 | 5.7 / 6.3 | 1.6 / 2.2 | 16 / n/a |
| Alco for Alter Alter Channel Alter Channel better known as Alter, is a private TV network in Greece. It launched in 1994 and is owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A, which is headed by Andreas Kouris. Programming mainly consists of news & current affairs shows and entertainment programmes... TV (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-18 | 31 / 35 | 38.5 / 43 | 6.7 / 8.4 | 3.3 / 3.8 | 5.5 / 6.3 | 1.5 / 2 | 13.5 / n/a |
| GPO for Mega Mega Channel Mega Channel, also known as Mega TV or just Mega, is a major television network in Greece. Teletypos S.A. was founded in 1989 under the name Teletypos Television Programmes S.A... TV |
09-09-18 | 30.2 | 36.2 | 7.2 | 3 | 6.4 | 1.9 | 15.1 |
| Metron Analysisfor ANT1 ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by... TV (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-18 | 30.8 / 35.6 | 37.7 / 43.5 | 6.6 / 7.6 | 3.3 / 3.8 | 4.9 / 5.6 | 2.2 / 2.5 | 14.5 / n/a |
| MARC forAlpha TV Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens... (vote intent / final tally projection) |
09-09-18 | 29.5 / 34.8 | 37.2 / 42.3 | 7.2 / 8.2 | 3.2 / 4.1 | 5.3 / 6.2 | 1.7 / 2.3 | 15.9 / n/a |
Although pollsters were actively polling until 2 October their findings were no longer made public within Greece, in accordance with the electoral law.
The next set of published predictions were the election day exit poll
Exit poll
An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. Unlike an opinion poll, which asks whom the voter plans to vote for or some similar formulation, an exit poll asks whom the voter actually voted for. A similar poll conducted before actual...
s, announced starting at 7 PM, 4 October.
Seats in Parliament
The electoral law for this election specifies that:- A party or a coalition of parties elects MPs only if its nationwide tally exceedsElection thresholdIn party-list proportional representation systems, an election threshold is a clause that stipulates that a party must receive a minimum percentage of votes, either nationally or within a particular district, to obtain any seats in the parliament...
3% of the total valid vote - 260 of 300 total seats are apportioned proportionallyProportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
- The first-past-the postPlurality voting systemThe plurality voting system is a single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member constituencies...
party or coalition receives a 40-seat bonus
Some pollsters are extrapolating election tallies based on their findings, and have publicized their final predictions on how many parliamentary seats each party will win:
| Source (pollster/medium Media (communication) In communications, media are the storage and transmission channels or tools used to store and deliver information or data... ) |
Date (yy/mm/dd) |
ND New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
PASOK Panhellenic Socialist Movement The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party... |
KKE Communist Party of Greece Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :... |
SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece... |
LAOS Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S... |
EcoGreens Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene... |
Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Issue forSkai Skai TV Skai TV is a Greek TV station, based in Pireus, Athens. It is part of the Skai Group one of the largest media groups in Greece. It was relaunched in its present form on April 1, 2006 in Athens and gradually managed to spread its coverage nationwide. Besides analog over-the-air transmission, it is... TV and Kathimerini Kathimerini I Kathimerini is a daily morning newspaper published in Athens. It is published in the Greek language, as well as in an abridged English-language edition. The English edition is sold separately in the United States and as a supplement to the International Herald Tribune in Greece and Cyprus. On 2... |
09-09-17 | 97 | 153 | 23 | 11 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Alco for Alter Alter Channel Alter Channel better known as Alter, is a private TV network in Greece. It launched in 1994 and is owned by Eleftheri Tileorasi S.A, which is headed by Andreas Kouris. Programming mainly consists of news & current affairs shows and entertainment programmes... TV |
09-09-18 | 94 | 158 | 21 | 11 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Metron Analysisfor ANT1 ANT1 Antenna, better known as ANT1, is a television network airing in Greece and Cyprus. The alternate spelling is play on words in Greek; ena is the Greek number 1, thus ANT1 is pronounced the same as Antenna . It launched on 31 December 1989, the same year as rival Mega Channel, and is owned by... TV |
09-09-18 | 96 | 158 | 21 | 10 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| MARC forAlpha TV Alpha TV Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens... |
09-09-18 | 95 | 155 | 22 | 11 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
According to the constitutional principle of the dedēlōménē, a party or a coalition needs a parliamentary majority of 151 total seats in order to form a government. In the eventuality that no party or coalition are able to secure 151 seats, another election will be called. For this occasion the electoral law specifies that the leading party will receive a 50-seat bonus.
Events before the election
- September 11, 2009: "Ecologists Greece" announced their electoral alliance with the Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS)
- September 16, 2009: A total of 28 parties submitted candidate lists to the Areios PagosCourt of Cassation (Greece)The Court of Cassation is the Supreme Court of Greece for civil and criminal law. The Court of Cassation's decisions are irrevocable. If the Court of Cassation concludes that a lower court violated the law or the principles of the procedure, then it can order the rehearing of the case by the lower...
. The court will vet the candidacies' legal standing and officially declare lawful candidates within about a week. In past elections, some candidacies were rejected because the candidates had held certain public offices which they had not resigned in a timely fashion. - September 21, 2009: NETNew Hellenic TelevisionNew Hellenic Television , branded as NET, is the second television network of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation , the public broadcaster of Greece. It is mainly a news and information channel that broadcasts daily newscasts with national and international news, documentaries, talkshows, current...
state television, in simulcastSimulcastSimulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
with major commercial TV stations, broadcast the debate among the leaders of NDNew Democracy (Greece)New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
, PASOKPanhellenic Socialist MovementThe Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party...
, KKE, SYRIZACoalition of the Radical LeftThe Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece...
, LAOSPopular Orthodox RallyThe Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S...
, and the Ecologist GreensEcologist GreensThe Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene...
. The party leaders questioned by a team of journalists from the TV stations participating in the simulcast. Questions and responses were rotated and timed. Each party leader was allowed to place one question to one other party leader of their choice directly. - September 21, 2009: The Areios PagosCourt of Cassation (Greece)The Court of Cassation is the Supreme Court of Greece for civil and criminal law. The Court of Cassation's decisions are irrevocable. If the Court of Cassation concludes that a lower court violated the law or the principles of the procedure, then it can order the rehearing of the case by the lower...
announced the parties participating in the elections. 5 of the 28 applications were rejected; namely: "Ecologists Greece – Konstantinos Papanikolas – Political Catharsis", "Hellenic Direct Democracy Movement" (Ελληνικό Κίνημα Άμεσης Δημοκρατίας - Giorgos Kokkas), "New Greek Republic" (Νέα Ελληνική Δημοκρατία - N. Laskos), "Where are you, Papadopoulos? – Party of Greek Aliens – Terrorise the Terrorists" (Πού είσαι Παπαδόπουλε – Κόμμα Ελλήνων Αλλοδαπών – Τρομοκρατήστε τους Τρομοκράτες), "Future of the Greeks - Servants of the Greek People" (Μέλλον των Ελλήνων – Υπηρέτες του Ελληνικού Λαού - N. Skopelitis). - September 22, 2009: The two likely Prime Ministers, Kostas Karamanlis and George Papandreou, debated for 75 minutes. The debate was divided in 5 sections (the economy, education, administration, the environment, and foreign policy). Both leaders had 2 sessions of 3 minutes and 1 session of 1 minute. The moderator had 1 minute to introduce the subject. The debate was moderated by journalist Maria Houkli, and was simulcast as per the multi-party debate above.
- October 3, 2009: It was announced that seven pollsters pooled their resources to conduct a joint exit pollExit pollAn election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. Unlike an opinion poll, which asks whom the voter plans to vote for or some similar formulation, an exit poll asks whom the voter actually voted for. A similar poll conducted before actual...
, which was broadcast by all TV and news stations at 7 PM, the time when voting officially ended. The pollsters procured approximately 14,000 randomised responses and were aiming for a ±1.5% margin of error in their earliest predictions. Singular Logic, the IT contractor for the Ministry of Interior, implemented a secure system to obtain initial tallies from approximately 4,000 voting stations by SMSSMSSMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
. They were thus able to project final results within ±0.2% by 9 PM and within ±0.1% by midnight. - October 3, 2009: Publicised oddsOddsThe odds in favor of an event or a proposition are expressed as the ratio of a pair of integers, which is the ratio of the probability that an event will happen to the probability that it will not happen...
by international bookmakerBookmakerA bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s were roughly in agreement with the latest predictions as outlined in the tables above. Sports bettingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
is the only form of betting allowed in Greece. - October 4, 2009: Voting commenced at 7 AM and was completed at 7 PM, in 20,937 stations throughout the country. Turnout was estimated at slightly more than 7 million.
Exit polls and projections
The initial results of the exit poll conducted jointly by pollsters Alco, GPO, MARC, Metron Analysis, MRB, Opinion, and RASS were made public at 7 PM Eastern European DST:| Joint exit poll | October 4, 2009 | ND New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
PASOK Panhellenic Socialist Movement The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party... |
KKE Communist Party of Greece Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :... |
SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece... |
LAOS Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S... |
EcoGreens Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene... |
Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote percentage | 7 PM | 34.3-37.3 | 41.0-44.0 | 7.3-8.3 | 3.9-4.9 | 5.0-6.0 | 2.0-3.0 | - |
| Seats in Parliament | 7 PM | 94-100 | 151-159 | 20-22 | 11-13 | 14-16 | 0 | - |
The revised results of the exit poll conducted jointly by pollsters Alco, GPO, MARC, Metron Analysis, MRB, Opinion, and RASS were made public at 8:50 PM Eastern European DST. The margin of error claimed is less than 0.5%:
| Joint exit poll | October 4, 2009 | ND New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
PASOK Panhellenic Socialist Movement The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party... |
KKE Communist Party of Greece Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :... |
SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece... |
LAOS Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S... |
EcoGreens Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene... |
Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote percentage | 8:50 PM | 33.9 | 43.8 | 7.6 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 2.5 | - |
| Seats in Parliament | 8:50 PM | 92 | 160 | 21 | 12 | 15 | 0 | - |
The statistical projections by Singular Logic and the Ministry of Interior, based on actual returns, were made public at 9 PM Eastern European DST. The margin of error claimed is 0.3%:
| Statistical projection | October 4, 2009 | ND New Democracy (Greece) New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic... |
PASOK Panhellenic Socialist Movement The Panhellenic Socialist Movement , known mostly by its acronym PASOK , is one of the two major political parties in Greece. Founded on 3 September 1974 by Andreas Papandreou, in 1981 PASOK became Greece's first social democratic party to win a majority in parliament.The party is a socialist party... |
KKE Communist Party of Greece Founded in 1918, the Communist Party of Greece , better known by its acronym, ΚΚΕ , is the oldest party on the Greek political scene.- Foundation :... |
SYRIZA Coalition of the Radical Left The Coalition of the Radical Left , commonly known by its Greek abbreviation ΣΥΡΙΖΑ , is a coalition of left political parties in Greece... |
LAOS Popular Orthodox Rally The Popular Orthodox Rally or The People's Orthodox Rally , often abbreviated to ΛΑ.Ο.Σ as a pun on the Greek word for people, is a Greek party. According to its political program LA.O.S... |
EcoGreens Ecologist Greens The Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene... |
Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote percentage | 9 PM | 33.8 | 43.8 | 7.6 | 4.5 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 2.2 |
| Seats in Parliament | 9 PM | 92 | 160 | 21 | 12 | 15 | 0 | - |
Post-election events
- October 4, 2009: Incumbent Prime Minister and New DemocracyNew Democracy (Greece)New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
party leader Kostas Karamanlis conceded defeat and stated that he is resigning his offices, and will not stand as candidate at the party convention summoned to elect his successor next month. The 33.5% tally marks a historic low for the party since its founding in 1974. - October 5, 2009: The Speaker of the outgoing Parliament notified the President of the Republic about the election returns. Immediately afterwards incumbent Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis tended his resignation to the President. PASOK leader George Papandreou was then summoned by the President and given a mandate to form a CabinetCabinet (government)A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
as the Prime Minister-designate. PASOK Member of the European ParliamentMember of the European ParliamentA Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Stavros Lambrinidis said the result was "remarkable". - October 6, 2009: George Papandreou was sworn in as Prime Minister at 11 AM, and moved into the Máximos Mansion, the Prime Ministerial office. The names of the new ministers were announced at 7 PM. It became known that George Papandreou had offered the EcoGreensEcologist GreensThe Ecologist Greens are a Greek Green ecologist political party. It has existed since 2002, yet the ecologist movement in Greece dates many years and was characterised by a reluctance to actively become involved in the political scene...
one of the two positions of Undersecretary for the Environment, but the offer was turned down. - October 7, 2009: The new Cabinet was sworn in at 11 AM. The New DemocracyNew Democracy (Greece)New Democracy is the main centre-right political party and one of the two major parties in Greece. It was founded in 1974 by Konstantinos Karamanlis and formed the first cabinet of the Third Hellenic Republic...
party congress is to convene and elect its new leader at November 7, 2009.
Further reading
- Dinas, Elias (2010) 'The Greek general election of 2009: PASOK–the third generation,' West European Politics 33: 389-398.
- Gemenis, Kostas (2010) ' Winning votes and weathering storms: the 2009 European and parliamentary elections in Greece,' Representation 46: 353-362.
- Kovras, Iosif (2010) 'The parliamentary election in Greece, October 2009,' Electoral Studies in press.
- Pappas, Takis S. (2010) 'Winning by default: the Greek election of 2009,' South European Society and Politics 15: 273-287.
External links
- Greece Votes Socialist by Maria Margaronis, The NationThe NationThe Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, October 5, 2009 - NSD: European Election Database - Greece publishes regional level election data; allows for comparisons of election results, 1990–2009