1951 Greek legislative election

1951 Greek legislative election

← 1950 9 September 1951 1952 →
All 258 seats in the Hellenic Parliament 130 seats needed for a majority
First party Second party   Leader Alexandros Papagos Nikolaos Plastiras Party Greek Rally EPEK Last election – 16.45%, 45 seats Seats won 114 74 Seat change New 29 Popular vote 624,316 401,379 Percentage 36.53% 23.49% Swing New 7.04pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Sofoklis Venizelos Ioannis Passalidis Party Liberal EDA Last election 17.24%, 56 seats – Seats won 57 10 Seat change 1 New Popular vote 325,390 180,640 Percentage 19.04% 10.57% Swing 1.80pp New
Prime Minister before election Sofoklis Venizelos Liberal Prime Minister after election Nikolaos Plastiras EPEK

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Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 9 September 1951.^[1] They resulted in an ambivalent outcome, consisting a narrow and pyrrhic, as proven later, victory for the ruling center-liberal parties of Sophoklis Venizelos and Nikolaos Plastiras.

Background

After the Greek elections of 1950, when the divided centrist parties had a clear majority in the Parliament political instability was the main characteristic of the political life in Greece. The subsequent centre-liberal governments of Sophoklis Venizelos, Nikolaos Plastiras and Georgios Papandreou did not manage to ensure and enforce stability. As a result, Nikolaos Plastiras supported a People's Party government, under the terms that the latter would soon conduct elections.

Outcome

First party in the elections of 1951 was the just-founded Greek Rally of Alexandros Papagos, which swept the traditionally dominant right-wing People's Party. Nevertheless, the two major centrist-liberal parties, the Liberal Party and the National Progressive Center Union, elected more deputies than the conservatives.

The left-wing EDA, a party believed to have been affiliated with the outlaw during 1950-1974 Communist Party of Greece, made its first appearance in these elections.

Results

Aftermath

Since no party or alliance had the absolute majority in the Parliament and Alexandros Papagos refused to participate in a government of national unity, the Liberal Party and the National Progressive Center Union formed a minority government under the leadership of Nikolaos Plastiras, which lasted for about a year, since 1952, when Nikolaos Plastiras submitted his resignation and new legislative elections were proclaimed by the King Paul I.

References