Communist Party of Greece (Marxist–Leninist)

Not to be confused with Communist Party of Greece/Marxist–Leninist (KKE/ML) formed in 1969.
Communist Party of Greece (Marxist–Leninist)
Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας (μαρξιστικό–λενινιστικό)
FoundedNovember 1976
Split fromOMLE
HeadquartersEmmanouil Benaki 43,
10681, Athens
NewspaperProletariaki Simaia
(Proletarian Flag)
IdeologyCommunism
Marxism–Leninism
Hoxhaism
Stalinism
Political positionFar-left [citation needed]
ColoursRed
Parliament
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European Parliament
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Party flag
Website
www.kkeml.gr Edit this at Wikidata

The Communist Party of Greece (Marxist–Leninist) (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας (μαρξιστικό-λενινιστικό), ΚΚΕ (μ-λ), Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (marxistiko-leninistiko), KKE (m-l)), is a Maoist communist political party in Greece.

History

KKE (m-l) was founded in November 1976 by the majority of the Organisation of Marxists-Leninists of Greece (OMLE), itself a splinter group of the Communist Party of Greece since 1964. The minority became the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece (M-L KKE).[1][2] Despite further subsequent splits and the creation of smaller groupings, the two parties, KKE (m-l) and M-L KKE, have remained the major representatives of Maoism in Greece to this day.[1] The student wing of KKE (m-l) was the Progressive All-Student Unionist Camp (PPSP), which was "less popular [than the mainstream organisations], but still important" at Greek universities at the time.[2][3]

In October 1977, on the eve of the first death anniversary of Mao Zedong, KKE(m-l) co-signed a declaration with the Communist Party of Germany/Marxists–Leninists, Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist), Communist Party of Italy (Marxist–Leninist) and the Portuguese Communist Party (Reconstructed). The declaration, which was published on the front page of the Albanian daily Zëri i Popullit, rejected the Three Worlds Theory.[4]

KKE (m-l) experienced a crisis in 1982 when the majority of its members left the party. This crisis was caused as a result of both international (death of Mao Zedong, the restoration of capitalism in China, etc.) and national events (government of PASOK, etc.). So the members that fighter that crisis created the new KKE (m-l)

On 16 March 2012, spurred by the ongoing Greek financial crisis, M-L KKE and KKE (m-l) announced that they would jointly contest elections as part of the Popular Resistance - Left Anti-Imperialist Cooperation (Λαϊκή Αντίσταση - Αριστερή Αντιμπεριαλιστική Συνεργασία), distancing themselves both from the traditional Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the leftist Syriza coalition.[1][5] KKE(m-l) and MLKKE contested the May 2012 legislative election under the slogan "Down with the Memorandum of Enslavement- The People don't owe anyone anything" and fielded 186 candidates across the country.[6]

Historically, KKE (m-l) has been most active and has supporters in Ioannina, Thessaloniki, and Northern Greece in general, in Crete, and the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Samos.[5]

Election results

Hellenic Parliament

Election Hellenic Parliament Rank Government Leader
Votes % ±pp Seats won +/−
Jun 1989 3,350 0.05% New
0 / 300
 New 18th Extra-parliamentary Collective leadership
Nov 1989 3,188 0.05% ±0.00
0 / 300
 Steady 0 12th Extra-parliamentary
1990 2,590 0.04% –0.01
0 / 300
 Steady 0 22nd Extra-parliamentary
1993[a] 8,160 0.12% +0.08
0 / 300
 Steady 0 10th Extra-parliamentary
1996[a] 10,416 0.15% +0.03
0 / 300
 Steady 0 12th Extra-parliamentary
2000 7,325 0.11% –0.04
0 / 300
 Steady 0 12th Extra-parliamentary
2004 10,864 0.15% +0.04
0 / 300
 Steady 0 9th Extra-parliamentary
2007 17,555 0.25% +0.10
0 / 300
 Steady 0 9th Extra-parliamentary
2009 10,480 0.15% –0.10
0 / 300
 Steady 0 13th Extra-parliamentary
May 2012[b] 16,010 0.25% +0.10
0 / 300
 Steady 0 21st Extra-parliamentary
Jun 2012[b] 7,952 0.12% –0.13
0 / 300
 Steady 0 17th Extra-parliamentary
Jan 2015[b] 7,999 0.13% +0.01
0 / 300
 Steady 0 14th Extra-parliamentary
Sep 2015[b] 8,873 0.16% +0.03
0 / 300
 Steady 0 15th Extra-parliamentary
2019 7,760 0.14% –0.02
0 / 300
 Steady 0 15th Extra-parliamentary
May 2023 12,773 0.22% +0.08
0 / 300
 Steady 0 22nd Extra-parliamentary
Jun 2023 9,447 0.18% –0.04
0 / 300
 Steady 0 19th Extra-parliamentary
  1. ^ a b Run as part of the Left Struggle coalition.
  2. ^ a b c d Run in coalition with M-L KKE.

Newspaper

A sample cover of Proletariaki Simaia (January 26, 2008)

KKE (m-l) publishes the biweekly newspaper, Proletariaki Simaia (Προλεταριακή Σημαία, "Proletarian Flag"), founded in early 1967 as one of the newspapers of OMLE.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Orestis Schinas (25 October 2014). "Η αριστερή αντιπολίτευση σε ΕΔΑ και ΚΚΕ" (in Greek). Eleftherotypia. Archived from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. ^ a b Heinz Timmermann (1979). Die Kommunistischen Parteien Südeuropas: Länderstudien u. Queranalysen. Nomos-Verlag-Ges. pp. 264, 267. ISBN 978-3-7890-0470-4.
  3. ^ Papadogiannis, Nikolaos. "From Coherence to Fragments: ‘1968’ and the Making of Youth Politicisation in Greece in the 1970s Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine", Historein, A Review of the Past and Other Stories, vol. 9, 2009, p. 80
  4. ^ Revolutionary Democracy. Joint Statement of The Communist Party of Germany (M-L), The Communist Party of Spain (M-L), The Communist Party of Greece (M-L), The Communist Party of Italy (M-L) and the Portuguese Communist Party (Reconstructed) Archived 2020-10-20 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b "ΚΚΕ (μ-λ) και Μ-Λ ΚΚΕ ξανά μαζί ύστερα από 36 χρόνια" (in Greek). To Vima. 16 March 2012. Archived from the original on 1 February 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  6. ^ naftemporiki.gr. ΚΚΕ (μλ) - ΜΛ ΚΚΕ: Με 186 υποψηφίους στις εκλογές Archived 2019-10-19 at the Wayback Machine