Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Communist Party of Greece (KKE). KKE emerges as a consistent force of resistance

On May 26th triple elections were held in Greece – European Parliament, regional and municipal elections.

KKE succeeded in re-electing the two Parliament Members that it had in the European Parliament, amassing 257,360 votes or 5.5% (with 83% percentage of integration).

Moreover, the ballots of the People's Rally passed into the 2nd round in the 5 Municipalities which had communist mayors, while in the regions and municipalities overall, “People's Rally” significantly increased the number of elected council members.

The registering of popular discontent in the elections is leading the ruling party to announce early national elections for the end of June.

In his statement to the mass media, Dimitris Koutsoumpas – General Secretary of the Central Committee of the KKE noted the following regarding the election results:

“First of all we would like to thank all of those who responded to KKE's call to join forces with it. All of those who honored us, participating in the Party ballot, but also all those who under difficult conditions came to the ballot box and voted for the KKE in the European Parliament elections and for “People's Rally” in the municipal and regional elections. We would especially like to thank all those who took that step for the first time, for the young men and women who gave their very first vote to our Party.

Above all, the battle of the European elections, but also that of the local elections had features that in fact, refer to national elections.

The electoral results record yet another anti-people alternation between SYRIZA and ND, that is, between the two biggest parties of capital, of the EU, of NATO.

Confrontation, polarization, false promises, extortionary dilemmas, especially between the two parties of bipolarism, created such a climate that it had an effect on the popular strata who do not yet believe in their own strength, leaving it untapped.

As you know – the KKE – from the very first moment – faced all the electoral battles with uniform political criteria in all the polls. As we have stated on many occasions, the EU gives anti-popular directives, the governments implement them, the municipal and regional authorities specify them, within a asphyxiating institutional framework that has been co-created by all the other parties who have governed.

With the results up until now, the KKE gathers about 6% and elects 2 European Parliament members. The ballots of the “People's Rally” pass into the 2nd round in the 5 Municipalities where we had the majority in the past five years. However, in other municipalities, where we did not make it into the 2nd round, the ballots of the “People's Rally” recorded a significant presence in all the municipalities that varies in presence with hundreds of new municipal councilors in the Municipal Councils.

It's positive that the KKE remains a consistent force for popular interests, with the trend of renewing its forces.

Naturally, we do not underestimate the fact that the correlation of forces is still very negative in Greece and in Europe, that the labor – popular movement has still not passed into a phase of dynamic and even more massive counter-attack. We are fully aware that within the broad sections of the people, reduced demands, defeatism, fatalism prevail, as a result of demobilization and reduced participation in the movement.

We believe that such people have a much more positive stance towards the KKE, monitors its positions, is concerned, even though it still hasn't been convinced to take a more decisive step.

The electoral results for SYRIZA record popular discontent towards its government, which in recent years has implemented anti-people policies, continuing the work of the ND and PASOK governments, tantalizing the people with provisions of “crumbs” , something that ND in its own way also proclaimed.

It is not, however, positive that the people are turning to older tried and failed choices such as ND and PASOK / KINAL or other forces that are being supported and prepared to play the role of either of the bulwark, or the complement to unpopular government management.

SYRIZA has enormous responsibility because with its policies it allowed ND and PASOK to appear justified for their previous anti-popular work. In essence, it absolved them of any responsibility.

It is positive that Golden Dawn was knocked from third to fifth place and that the KKE is ahead. Of course, changes of position, such as those concerning the Greek Solution, constitute the reformulation of an overall anti-popular reactionary political scene.

The results of the KKE sends a message of hope to Communist parties and militant forces in other countries who are struggling under difficult conditions to draw a radical line of recovery and regroupment of the Communist and labor movement across Europe, away from its deadly embrace with social democracy, the beautifying of the EU or the illusion of being able to reform it for the benefit of the people's interest and the policy of being integrated and participating in bourgeois anti-people management.

It is a positive fact that in these elections a certain trend of joining forces with the KKE was expressed, with people who have struggled with us in previous years in the workers' and farmers' movement, with people of art, culture, sports, armed forces and security forces, some of whom had previously made other political choices.

This trend to join forces with the KKE expresses positive processes that we will work to multiply in workplaces in working class neighborhoods, in rural areas, within the movement rather than behind the scenes in the parliament. We are confident that such processes and even more positive ones exist in workplaces, in neighborhoods. This trend must be broadened as we approach the parliamentary elections.

The day after the elections we will encounter new forces on the path of counter-attack, on the path of political and mass struggle. Votes for the KKE will be affirmed from tomorrow morning, everywhere, in every neighborhood, in the schools, in the universities to block new measures, to claim relief measures for the unemployed, to rebuild the workers' popular movement, for the social Alliance

The KKE will continue to show the way for a genuine people-friendly way-out for our people, along with the readiness from tomorrow for a harsh confrontation and struggle for relief for the working people, the unemployed, popular households, pensioners, the youth, all those who are suffering. To block worse measures from anti-people local administrations in the municipalities and the regions. To block new governmental anti-popular measures. To demand satisfaction for contemporary popular needs. To be on the alert and have readiness for the dangerous designs of the USA-NATO and their rivalries in the region, in which the SYRIZA government actively participates, with the substantial agreement of the other parties.

We are facing the battle of parliamentary elections at the end of June. We will wage this battle with optimism, against dilemmas, that will be strengthened even more in the name of some slight differences, that do not change in essence the strategic association between SYRIZA, ND and the other parties. We especially call upon the workers, the progressives and militants to not give in to the extortionary dilemmas that will intensify over the next month.

Our slogan remains necessary and timely:

With a powerful KKE we can make a truly great difference, for there to exist a genuine people's opposition, a genuine support for the people facing every anti-popular government that will arise, for a real wall to be raised against the far-right and fascism, conservatism, for us to open the road together with the people as the genuine leader of the developments.

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