1979 Piraean national plebiscite

1979 Piraean national plebiscite
Continuation of Ioannis Christodoulopoulos and the rest of the Junta
Date	5 July 1979 (1979-07-05)
Results Votes % Yes 2,336,996 7001438400000000000♠43.84% No 2,993,490 7001561600000099999♠56.16% Valid votes 5,330,486 7001760600000000000♠76.06% Invalid or blank votes 1,678,027 7001239400000000000♠23.94% Total votes 7,008,513 100.00%
Results by Regions   Yes     No

The 1979 Piraean national plebiscite (Piraean: 1979 Εθνικό δημοψήφισμα της Πειραεάς) was a referendum conducted in Piraea during July 1979, in which the electorate was asked about the continuation of Ioannis Christodoulopoulos and the military junta as Head of State and Government.

The referendum was conducted a year after the death of Konstantinos Athanopoulos, who ruled the Second Piraean Republic as a military dictatorship. That same year, the members of the military junta voted Ioannis Christodoulopoulos, who occupied the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, to be the Premier and sought to renew their term in power through the plebiscite. If the population approved the candidate of the junta and voted "Yes", the military institution would continue exercising as the executive, but if the result proved negative, a newly elected office and legislature would have been needed to be voted. Finally, the "No" to the candidate of the junta won by a 56% of the vote, igniting a process known as "Metapolitefsi" (Piraean: Μεταπολίτευση) or "regime change", which concluded with the general elections of 1980.

It is believed that international pressure from other Euclean nations and Piraean big business were crucial in the decision of the junta of respecting the results, as Piraea was one of the few remaining dictatorships of East Euclea.

Background

During the mid-1960s and 1970s, Piraea experienced an economic miracle often credited to the program of economic liberalisation carried out by the military government following Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs and International Council for Democracy advice and funding. Although the reforms proved efficient in Piraea's exit from recession, dissident voices became more prominent criticising persistent political censorship and repression as well as a growing income inequalities. Towards the end of the decade, political demonstration from leftist groups (often in clandestine) became more usual, and the Piraean exile reconducted international observation to their cause.

In 1978, Konstantinos Athanopoulos, who ruled the Second Piraean Republic as a military dictator of Functionalist background, died in his palace of Alikianos. Athanopoulos had previously ordered that the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Ioannis Christodoulopoulos, would succeed him in the position of Premier in the Junta. The military executive invested Christodoulopoulos as Premier, but sought to acquire the legitimacy of the people's vote in order to confirm the continuity of the military rule.

Electorate

Logos used by the two options during the campaign.

The electorate for the plebiscite has been severely studied by Piraean sociologists and political analysts. The plebiscite is believed to have inaugurated an important mark in the country's politics and electoral history, with similar results by region and municipality across the elections. The electoral process was the first to be conducted after 30 years of severe political and social repression: it was also one of the first elections in which the vote of the women was specially sought after and counted with an important influence in the final results.

Options that aligned under the campaign of the "Yes" (Ναι) were often connected to the upper and upper-middle classes, generally linked with the military government or the business world (the campaign used the economic stability and secureness as one of its slogans) and students' and youth groups of far-right background. Although the Episemialist Church did not expressed opinion, it is widely known that priests and patriarchs of the Metropolitanate of Piraea showed a preferable option for the continuity of the military junta. In the vote of the "No" (Όχι), groups close to the left and centre-left participated in the campaign which targeted an electorate of all social classes and education levels. However, most of them often came from relatives of kidnapped citizens, exiled people and the general population looking for a democratic change.

The femenine vote was considered crucial in both options. On the pro-junta sector, the Women Movement for Piraea, a social movement of wives and Piraese women of upper class-background and conservative ideology, called for the feminine vote for Christodoulopoulos arguing the "protection of the family, the values and our sons". The opposition counted with the support of most active feminist movements, but was crucial in transmitting the voice of mothers and spouses that were leading the investigation of their sons, daughters and husbands that were forcibly disappeared.  

Plebiscite

Subject to the ratification of the citizenship, the Executive Military Junta proposes the General of the Air Ioannis Christodoulopoulos for a term of 8 years as Premier of the Piraean Republic.

The plebiscite is believed to have been planned by Konstantinos Athanopoulos long before his death in an attempt to regain the validation of the population by seeking a new "term" in front of the military junta. However, many sources from inside the executive have later acknowledged that many of the military leadership considered it unjust and greatly personalist. Due to this, the plebiscite was never confirmed by Athanopoulos; but the death of the general in 1978 changed the junta's considerations, which feared a crack in the political censorship fueled by the idea that the dictator was dead.

To prevent this, the General of the Air Ioannis Christodoulopoulos and the members the military junta refloated the consideration of allowing a plebiscite to grant the Christodoulopoulos with a new term and the people's legitimacy. In February of 1979, the Organic Law that allowed political parties to be formed was passed and the first organisations of the right —New Force and People's Party— were enrolled in the registry. In the core of the left, a debate existed of whether or not adhering to the regime imposed by the law, but ultimately, most of them concluded that it was beneficial in the given context; the first organisations that enrolled were Progressive Federation, Democratic Socialism and Humanist Centre, with the still outlawed Piraese Socialist Workers Union playing a crucial role adhering under the PSEE-Samariá Front and PSEE-Historical labels.

For the first time in Piraea's electoral history, the television played a crucial role, with party political broadcasts being granted for each option; the first spots were presented during the first days of June and each were allowed a duration of 15 minutes maximum. The campaigns in television were radically different, with the option of the "No" presenting a more emotive stance linked to happiness and democracy, and the "Yes" focusing in the fear and instability of the previous republic, with the contrast of the economic miracle and an almost personality cult of Athanopoulos and Christodoulopoulos. The "No" campaign was also famous for the use of Piraean celebrities and international stars, such as Themistoklis Stavrallis, Pia Poupou and others; the "Yes" used a similar concept, but with personalities linked to the sports world that expressed a patriotic sentiment. The broadcast of the "No" of the day 10 June was censored and forbidden of being broadcasted due to the fact that it was based in the testimony of an exiled student in Verlois referring to the torture he suffered and the forced disappearance of his colleagues; as a response, the "Yes" was also banned from broadcasting that day, granting the equal time in television.

The campaigns concluded during 2nd of June; the "No" carried out one of the largest mass marches in Piraea towards Alikianos, which mobilised people from the southernmost Lampi and the northernmost Samariá to the capital city. During the march, many people was intimidated by pro-Yes groups and paramilitary forces, causing violent clashes along the week-long march. In Alikianos, a concert was offered in one of the largest mass demonstrations of Piraea. The option for the "Yes" concluded the campaign with a mass rally in front of the Palace of the Piraean Court.

Option		Parties and alliances	Candidate or leading face		Gov.
		List People's Party (LK) Centre Union (EK) Novalian People's Party (NNS/NLK) New Force National Alliance National Party Movement of Unity Social Episemialist Women Movement for Piraea Athanopoulos Front		Ioannis Christodoulopoulos	Y
		List Piraese Socialist Workers Union (PSEE) Humanist Centre (AK) Progressive Federation (PO) Democratic Socialism (DS) Piraese Section of the Workers' International (PTED) Federation of University Students General Confederation of Piraese Workers (GSEP) Workers' Fund and Solidarity		Andrianos Rodiales

Televised debates and interviews

1979 Piraean national plebiscite debates and interviews
Date	Broadcaster	Moderator(s)	Participants —   Name  Participant    N  Party not invited/did not participate   NI  Not invited		Notes
			"Yes" (Ναι)	"No" (Όχι)
5 June 1979	ΠΡΤ 1	Chirstoforos Contou	Nicolaos Stamatides	Andrianos Rodiales
19 June 1979	ΠΡΤ 1	Chirstoforos Contou	NI	Andrianos Rodiales
23 June 1979	ΠΡΤ 1	Chirstoforos Contou	Ioannis Christodoulopoulos	NI

Opinion polls

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Lead

Results

Party		Votes	%
	"Yes" (Ναι)	2,336,996	43.84
	"No" (Όχι) Proposal rejected	2,993,490	56.16
Total		5,330,486	100.00
Valid votes		5,330,486	76.06
Invalid/blank votes		1,678,027	23.94
Total votes		7,008,513	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		7,151,089	98.01
Source: Electoral Court