Communist Organization of Greece
Encyclopedia
The Communist Organization of Greece is a left-wing Greek
political party of Maoist origins that was founded in 2003. The KOE's ideology is revolutionary Marxism, supporting Marxist
ideology with all the historical experience of the Communist Movement.
(KKE). As a result of the KKE's revisionist
turn in 1956, Nikos Zachariades was exiled and many hard-line Stalinists were excluded from the party. Many former KKE members founded the Organisation of Marxists-Leninists of Greece
(OMLE) in 1964, and published the Anagennissi (Rebirth) monthly review and the weekly Laikos Dromos (Peoples Road). Many people who eventually founded the KOE joined the OMLE.
In 1984, the future founders of the KOE established A/synechia, an effort aimed at rebuilding the communist movement, without revisionist or leftist trends, based on an analysis of the world development and the crisis that was shocking both western and eastern camps. The most prominent member of them was Yannis Hotzeas
, who was one of the founders of both the OMLE and the KKE and was also a member of EAM and EPON.
and Maoism. The KOE was also against Marxist revisionism and against viewing it as merely academic or theoretical instead of practical.
Since February 2010, KOE has published the newspaper Dromos tis aristeras with another left party also affiliated to the Coalition of the Radical Left
(SYRIZA), KEDA
. The newspaper's publishing committee mostly consists of members who are unaffiliated with any Greek leftist party, and the newspaper's slogan is "from all the left, for all the left". People who collaborate with Dromos tis aristeras include Mumia Abu-Jamal
; political cartoonist Carlos Latuff
; Communist Party of the Philippines
leader Jose Maria Sison
; and American historian, author, and social activist Max Elbaum
.
. The KOE supported the Coalition of the Radical Left
in 2004, although it did not present its own candidates. The KOE also abstained from the 2004 European parliamentary elections
.
KOE affiliated itself with the SYRIZA on June 20, 2007. The best scores of the KOE's candidates on the joint ticket with SYRIZA in the 2007 Greek legislative elections were in Aitoloakarnania (1st with 1,126 votes), Achaia (2nd with 2,628 votes), Thessaloniki (2nd with 2,165 votes), Larissa (3rd with 1,294 votes), Attica (3rd with 4,022 votes) and Piraeus (3rd with 1,958 votes).
.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
political party of Maoist origins that was founded in 2003. The KOE's ideology is revolutionary Marxism, supporting Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
ideology with all the historical experience of the Communist Movement.
Origins
The KOE has its origins in the Communist Party of GreeceCommunist 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 :...
(KKE). As a result of the KKE's revisionist
Revisionism (Marxism)
Within the Marxist movement, the word revisionism is used to refer to various ideas, principles and theories that are based on a significant revision of fundamental Marxist premises. The term is most often used by those Marxists who believe that such revisions are unwarranted and represent a...
turn in 1956, Nikos Zachariades was exiled and many hard-line Stalinists were excluded from the party. Many former KKE members founded the Organisation of Marxists-Leninists of Greece
Organisation of Marxists-Leninists of Greece
The Organisation of Marxist-Leninists of Greece, known by its Greek acronym OMLE, was the original Greek Maoist movement, which split from the Communist Party of Greece in 1964, opposing Soviet revisionism....
(OMLE) in 1964, and published the Anagennissi (Rebirth) monthly review and the weekly Laikos Dromos (Peoples Road). Many people who eventually founded the KOE joined the OMLE.
In 1984, the future founders of the KOE established A/synechia, an effort aimed at rebuilding the communist movement, without revisionist or leftist trends, based on an analysis of the world development and the crisis that was shocking both western and eastern camps. The most prominent member of them was Yannis Hotzeas
Yannis Hotzeas
Yannis Hotzeas was a Greek communist, Marxist theoretician and one of the principal founders of the Greek Marxist-Leninist movement.-Early life:Hotzeas was born in Koroni, Messenia, Peloponnese, in a poor family...
, who was one of the founders of both the OMLE and the KKE and was also a member of EAM and EPON.
Ideology
The KOE supports, at least theoretically, revolutionary Marxism, following the teachings of Marx and Engels as well as the experience of communist movements around the world, including LeninismLeninism
In Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
and Maoism. The KOE was also against Marxist revisionism and against viewing it as merely academic or theoretical instead of practical.
Paper
The party paper was called Aristera! ("Left!"). Aristera! was first published in February 1996 as a monthly paper, eventuallly becoming biweekly. The last issue of the paper was published in January 2010.Since February 2010, KOE has published the newspaper Dromos tis aristeras with another left party also affiliated to the Coalition of the Radical Left
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...
(SYRIZA), KEDA
Movement for the United in Action Left
Movement for the United in Action Left is a political party in Greece that is part of the Coalition of the Radical Left.KEDA was formed in the early 2000s, by a splinter group of major party officials of the Communist Party of Greece , most prominently Yiannis Theonas and Mitsos Kostopoulos...
. The newspaper's publishing committee mostly consists of members who are unaffiliated with any Greek leftist party, and the newspaper's slogan is "from all the left, for all the left". People who collaborate with Dromos tis aristeras include Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal
Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
; political cartoonist Carlos Latuff
Carlos Latuff
Carlos Latuff is a Brazilian freelance political cartoonist. His works deal with an array of themes, including anti-globalization, anti-capitalism, anti-Semitism, and anti-U.S. military intervention. Moreover, the issue that he is best known for, are his images depicting the Israeli–Palestinian...
; Communist Party of the Philippines
Communist Party of the Philippines
The Communist Party of the Philippines is a leading communist party in the Philippines. It remains an underground political organization since its founding on December 26, 1968 and has been operating in clandestine manner since its founding...
leader Jose Maria Sison
José María Sison
Jose Maria Sison is a writer and activist who reorganized the Communist Party of the Philippines and added elements of Maoism to its philosophy....
; and American historian, author, and social activist Max Elbaum
Max Elbaum
Max Elbaum is an American historian, author, and social activist. He has written extensively about the New Left, Civil Rights and anti-war movements. Max's book Revolution In The Air was praised by Pultizer Prize-winning historian David Garrow as "an absolutely first-rate work of political...
.
Elections
A/synecheia participated in the municipal elections of 1994 and 1998, taking approximately 4% of the votes. The party won approximately 9,800 votes in the 1999 European parliamentary electionsEuropean Parliament election, 1999
The European Parliament Election, 1999 was a European election for all 626 members of the European Parliament held across the 15 European Union member states on 10, 11 and 13 June 1999. The voter turn-out was generally low, except in Belgium and Luxembourg, where voting is compulsory and where...
. The KOE supported the Coalition of the Radical Left
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...
in 2004, although it did not present its own candidates. The KOE also abstained from the 2004 European parliamentary elections
European Parliament election, 2004
Elections to the European Parliament were held from 10 June 2004 to 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom...
.
KOE affiliated itself with the SYRIZA on June 20, 2007. The best scores of the KOE's candidates on the joint ticket with SYRIZA in the 2007 Greek legislative elections were in Aitoloakarnania (1st with 1,126 votes), Achaia (2nd with 2,628 votes), Thessaloniki (2nd with 2,165 votes), Larissa (3rd with 1,294 votes), Attica (3rd with 4,022 votes) and Piraeus (3rd with 1,958 votes).
| Electoral tactics since 2000 (year links to election page) |
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| Year | Coalition | Type of Election | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| 2000 | Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece The 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.... |
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| 2007 | 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... |
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| 2009 European Parliament election, 2009 (Greece) The European Parliament election of 2009 in Greece for the election of the delegation from Greece to the European Parliament in 2009 took place on June 7, 2009. The election system used in Greece is party-list proportional representation with a 3% threshold for any party... |
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... |
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| 2009 Greek legislative election, 2009 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... |
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... |
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Front organizations
The workers' front organization of the KOE is called the "Union of the Working People", the youth group of the KOE is simply called the "Youth of KOE" and its students are members of "Left Unity", which includes several leftist students' organizations supporting SYRIZA. Until 2008, its students led the Left Groups(Aristera Schimata), created in 1989.International relations
The Communist Organization of Greece is a member of the International Conference of Marxist-Leninist Parties and Organizations (ICMLPO), a founding member of the Conference of Communist and Workers' Parties of the Balkans (CCWPB) and a founding member of the Anti-imperialist Space in the European Social ForumEuropean Social Forum
The European Social Forum is a recurring conference held by members of the alter-globalization movement . In the first few years after it started in 2002 the conference was held every year, but later it became biannual due to difficulties with finding host countries...
.