| Olympian Task |
15 March 2004
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Greek Conservatives in Surprising Win
The Greeks are credited with the invention of democracy, and it was an interesting exercise in the same that brought the Greek New Democracy to power last week. Led by a man who has never held elected office, the conservative party won 165-170 seats out of 300. Thus ended the rule of the Pan Hellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) party that has held power since 1981, save for a single 3-year interlude more than a decade ago. The election was a vote against that rut in which Greece has been stuck.
Costas Karamanlis and George Papandreou are not household names outside the country, but they are in Greece. Mr. Papandreou is the son and grandson of national leaders, while Mr. Karamanlis is the nephew of one. Many said this was an election between two royal families; it was the sixth time that these two surnames faced one another over the right to run the country. One wag dubbed the system "hereditary democracy."
Yet, the Greeks took this election very seriously. Longevity in government eventually caught up to PASOK, and an unemployment rate that refuses to drop below 9% wasn't helping. Moreover, corruption seems to irk the average Greek voter, and PASOK had the scent of corruption about it.
The key test for Mr. Karamanlis, though, will be the Olympics. In a fit of bravery or folly, he has appointed himself Minister of Culture and as such will oversee the Athens effort this summer. The facilities are not complete, and the terror threat will make security a nightmare. If he should succeed in pulling the games together, he will most likely get a blank check from the electorate for the next couple of years. If the games don't come off cleanly, though, there could be serious trouble ahead for him and his party.
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