2023 Piraean general election

2023 Piraean general election
All 125 seats to the Piraean Senate; 61 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	58.2% ( 2.6%)
	Most voted-for party by region in Piraea proper

The 2023 Piraean general election was held on 10 September 2023 to vote the formation of a new legislature in the Piraean Senate and its 125 members. It was a snap election convened by the Premier Georgios Konstantinou after the 2023 Piraean regional elections, in which People's Party received majorities in most regions^[1]; the election was perceived by the political class as a was of finding exit to the ongoing judicial deadlock.

Prior to the regional elections, government and opposition saw numerous clashes over the renovation of mandates in the General Magistrature of the Judiciary^[2]; the LK Minister of Justice, Christoforos Kostopoulos-Kolokotronis, denounced the PSEE's intentions to block the renovation by not providing enough votes in the Senate and using the progressive majority it had on the judiciary branch. The crisis was deepened on March, after the renounce of Romulos Kapos-Tanou^[3], magistrate close to the government; shortly after, the Presidency announced the start of negotiations with the government and opposition to renovate mandates and propose changes in the law. ^[4]

The Piraese Socialist Workers Union was severely affected by its clash against the government; during February, negotiations on the Senate to renovate the members of the Presidency begun, and the PSEE was unable to reach agreements with the rest of the centre-left and left to grant a seat to its nominees.^[5] The situation forced a crisis inside the PSEE, with several members demanding the dismissal of Eleftheria Rodiales^[6] A month later, the party chose the former Minister of Infrastructure during the Panopoulos government, Antonis Moustakopoulos, to succeed Rodiales ^[7] amid record lows in opinion polls. ^[8]

During the regional campaign, Georgios Konstantinou was internally criticised for the lack of agreement with the PSEE, and sectors of the conservative wing of the party led by Evangelos Polakis and Eliza Andreodoglou demanded a marked swing to the right. In May, the government proposed changes in the Immigration Law and Borders Control, which emulated models already existing in Paretia and Etruria, arising much debate among the opposition.^[9] During the same month, Maria Katsaniotis, which occupied the Ministry of Welfare, was accused of corruption, after her husband was found being part of a scheme that granted public licitations that were never completed in municipalities governed by LK. ^[10]

The election saw a decrease in the turnout percentage (-2.6% when compared with the previous general election). The People's Party received the largest percentage, with a large distance from the second largest party, the PSEE. After much speculation about the possible results, the far-right, Force Piraea, became fourth largest party in the Senate; the liberal centre-right suffered enormous loses, which were credited to a lack of assertiveness during the regional elections and the last campaigns, several members of Democrats later joined the People's Party, formally merging both parties later. Georgios Konstantinou was finally granted the confidence of the Senate with votes of the People's Party, Democrats, Change, the Novalian People's Party and the Humanist Centre.

Background

Previous elections

A start of campaign rally led by Ignatios Anthou-Pavlides, candidate in the Souda Riviera to the regional elections. .

After the previous general elections, the Konstantinou government was formed and the People's Party was considered the main and largest party in the Piraean Senate. The event was seen as a culmination of Percederation and continuous 15 years of socialist-PSEE-led executives. The new government was marked in its first year by the EC-accession talks and the clashes against the opposition about the deadlock in the magistrature.

By 9 July 2023, four regions of Piraea —Foinikas, Sitia, Lampi and Souda Riviera, which included two of the most populous— headed to new elections to renew the regional legislatures. The electoral process and campaigns were portrayed as a test for both the government and opposition, as a form of measuring the impact the political dynamic had in the population. During the campaign, it was already seen that Democrats had been severely affected, and risked losing its participation in most regional and local legislatures; the same happened with other centre formations that were born in the era post-percederation, as well as with the far-right Homeland, which for years, dominated its extreme of the political spectrum and after numerous internal clashes, members of the senate decided to leave the party and refound the new Force Piraea, described as a post-National Functionalism and National Alignment-inspired party. The regional elections finally gave the People's Party an absolute majority in Foinikas, and the possibility of forming government in Sitia and Souda Riviera.

A week before the regional elections in Piraea, Werania celebrated federal elections, which were largely covered by Piraean journalists and politicians for the country's significance in the process of accession to the Euclean Community. After the re-election of Anton Raicevich from the centre-right NKP, Piraean newspapers rumored about the possibility of a snap election if the regional elections proved beneficial for the People's Party, in order to consolidate a new electoral map and grant more stability to the legislature.

General Council of the Judiciary deadlock

Campaign

Issues

Televised debates

Participating parties

Results



Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	People's Party	0	–	52	6
	Piraese Socialist Workers Union	0	–	32	2
	Popular Unity Candidacy	0	–	11	0
	Force Piraea	0	–	10	New
	Humanist Centre	0	–	5	1
	Change	0	–	4	6
	Independent Regionalist Union	0	–	4	1
	Democrats	0	–	4	4
	Novalian People's Party	0	–	3	2
Total				125	–

Aftermath

Government formation and investiture

Shortly after the general elections, the People's Party initiated contacts with political forces to reach a government investiture that could renew Konstantinou's period in office; the party confirmed the intention of forming a minority government excluding the possibilities of an alliance with the far-right party Force Piraea, which was open about granting its votes to LK in exchange of cabinet positions. During the round of talks, the People's Party and Humanist Centre announced that a pact was reached, which could enable the Humanists' votes for the investiture in exchange of passing a number of bills of interest to the centre party. The opposition denounced that it was part of the agreement that allowed LK votes to the Humanist nominations to the Presidency.

During the month of negotiations, Democrats announced the dissolution of its political structure; an internal vote among membership concluded with the dissolution inside the People's Party, and the four members of the Senate were granted their seats inside the LK senatorial group, which increased from 52 to 56. In the government formation, Anna Theodoropoulou, leader of Democrats, was granted a seat in the cabinet.