General Election called in Greece

[Jens]

The Greek prime minister Kostas Karamanlis has today called for a general election on September 16th. Karamanlis and his party New Democracy has been under pressure the latest time because of a number of scandales.

[Jens]

They'll never be able to hold a general election with these wildfires surely!

It is only a part af Peloponnes that is affected - but the campaigns has been suspended in respect of the victims (the fires are a very bad case for the government)

[Jens]

I expect a heavy beating for the Conservatives, moderate gains by the PASOK gains for the 3rd parties, like LAOS, the Communists and the Radical Left.

That sounds like a quite plausible prediction. I just hope that ND doesn't get 42+ % of the votes because that could cause the grotesk situation that PASOK, KKE and SYRIZA has a plurality of the votes but ND gaining a majority in parliament. Let's hope that that doesn't happen. I really hate those manipulated electoral systems!

[Jens]

42% of the people vote for a party and that party alone gets a majority.Wow.

Hands up everyone who hates Greece's electoral system

Here, here - but Labour won a majority with 35 % last time (and got 55 % of the MP's)

[Jens]

Here, here - but Labour won a majority with 35 % last time (and got 55 % of the MP's)

But the electoral system used in the U.K isn't supposed to be even slightly proportional.

That is true and the Greek has the intention to produce a majority for the largest party (not PR in my book).
Back to the election. It looks like ND is just short of 42 %. Let's hope it stays like that.

[Jens]

71.05% voted, 37.05% reporting

ND 43.87% 157
PASOK 38.52% 103
KKE 7.24% 19
SYZRIA 4.34% 12
LAOS 3.37% 9

Map soon

Combined Right: 47,24% 166M
Combined Left: 50,1% 134M

Without the 42% bonus the left would hold a solid majority!

[Jens]

Actually its not a 42% bonus, its a FPTP bonus.

Only if you get more than 41,5-42%. If ND gets 41 % they don't get the extra 40 mandates, even if they are the largest party, as far as I understand the electoral rules. Still thinks that it is a lousy way to create a majority (or a different way to ensure a two party system)

[Jens]

Actually its not a 42% bonus, its a FPTP bonus.

Only if you get more than 41,5-42%. If ND gets 41 % they don't get the extra 40 mandates, even if they are the largest party, as far as I understand the electoral rules. Still thinks that it is a lousy way to create a majority (or a different way to ensure a two party system)

Well Wikipedia says its for the simple FPTP party, with no other rules on that, and that's how I've always seen it.

I looked at it again, and your are probably right. Actually do I think that just giving the largest party a 40 mandates bonus is even worse, when it does'nt even secure a single-party majority.

[Jens]

With 99,39% of the votes counted the result looks like this:

ND: 41,8% -3,6, 152M -13M
PASOK: 38,1% -2,4, 102M -15M
KKE: 8,2% +2,3% 22M +10M
SYRIZA: 5,0% +1,7, 14M +8M
LAOS: 3,8% +1,6, 10M +10M

[Jens]

And with real PR

ND: 41,8% -3,6, 129M
PASOK: 38,1% -2,4, 118M
KKE: 8,2% +2,3% 25M
SYRIZA: 5,0% +1,7, 16M
LAOS: 3,8% +1,6, 12M

Right: 141M 45,6%
Left: 159M 51,3%

Totally grotesque that ND can continue as a majority government! Reminds me of the old Norwegian system that favored Labour.

[Jens]

Current Governments in Europe:



(Post if I colored a state wrong ...)

I'm with Hashemite. The governments of fx The Netherlands and Switzerland contains parties of both the left and the right.