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Coalition of the Radical Left
''Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς''
'Leader'	Alekos Alavanos
'Political orientation'	Left-wing politics
'Website'	www.syriza.gr

The 'Coalition of the Radical Left' (, ''Synaspismos tis Rizospastikis Aristeras'', SYRIZA) is a coalition of left political parties in Greece. Its leader is Alekos Alavanos, who is also the president of the Synaspismos^[1], the largest of the parties that form the coalition.

Contents

History

Formation

2004 general election

Crisis and revitalization

2007 general election

Participating parties

Electoral results

References

External links

History

Formation

Although, SYRIZA is typically regarded to have been launched before the legislative election of 2004, the process that ended up in its formation can be traced back to the ''The Space of Left Dialogue and Common Action'' (Greek: ''Χώρος Διαλόγου για την Ενότητα και Κοινή Δράση της Αριστεράς'') in 2001.^[2] The "Space" was comprised of various organizations of the Greek Left that, despite different ideological and historical backgrounds, shared common political action in several important issues that had risen in Greece at the end of the 1990's, such as the Kosovo War, privatizations, social rights, etc.
The "Space" provided the common ground from which the participating parties could work together on issues such as:

★ Neoliberal reform of the pension and social security systems

★ Opposition to new anti-terrorist laws

★ The preparation of the Greek participation at the 2001 international demonstration in Genoa.^[3]
Even though the "Space" was not a political organization, but rather an effort to bring together the parties and organizations that attended, it gave birth to some electoral alliances for the local election of 2002,^[4] the most succesful being the one led by Manolis Glezos for the super-prefecture of Athens-Piraeus. The "Space" also provided the common ground from which several of the member parties and organizations launched the Greek Social Forum^[5], part of the larger European Social Forum.

2004 general election

The defining moment for the birth of SYRIZA came with the legislative election of 2004. Most of the participants of the "Space", sought to develop a common platform that could lead to an electoral alliance.^[6] This lead to the eventual formation of the Coalition of the Radical Left, in January 2004.^[7]
The parties that originally formed the Coalition of the Radical Left in January 2004 were:

★ Synaspismos (SYN)

★ Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA)

★ Internationalist Workers Left (DEA)

★ Movement for the United in Action Left (KEDA) (a split of the Communist Party of Greece)

★ Active Citizens (a political organisation associated with Manolis Glezos)

★ and several independent left activists
Although the Communist Organization of Greece (KOE) had participated in the "Space", it decided not to take part in the Coalition.^[8]
In the election, the Coalition gathered 241,539 votes (3.3% of the total) and elected six members to parliament. All six were members of Synaspismos, the largest of the coalition parties. This lead to much tension within the Coalition.

Crisis and revitalization

After the 2004 election, the smaller parties accused Synaspismos of not honoring an agreement, to have one of its members of parliament resign so that Yannis Mpanias of AKOA would take his seat.^[9] Tension built up and resulted in the split of the Internationalist Workers Left and the formation of ''Kokkino'' that chose to remain within the Coalition.

Three months after the legislative election, Synaspismos chose to run independently from the rest of the Coalition for the 2004 elections for the European Parliament and most of the smaller parties of the Coalition supported the ''Women for Another Europe'' (Greek: ''Γυναίκες για μια άλλη Ευρώπη'') feminist ballot.^[10].
The crisis ended in December 2004 with the 4th convention of Synaspismos, when the large majority within the party voted for the revitalization of the Coalition.^[11] This change of attitude was intensified further with the election of Alekos Alavanos as president of Synaspismos, as Alavanos strongly supported the Coalition.^[12]
The Coalition solidified further with the successful organization of the 4th European Social Forum in May 2006 in Athens, as well as with a number of largely successful coalition tickets, such as in Athens and Piraeus, for the 2006 local election. The ticket for the municipality of Athens was lead by the 30 year old Alexis Tsipras, proposed by Alavanos who declared Synaspismos's "opening to the new generation".

2007 general election

The Coalition of the Radical Left will participate in the 2007 Greek legislative election, that will take place in September 16, 2007. The top spot will be contested by Greece's two main parties (Nea Dimokratia and PASOK), but much may be at stake depending on whether one, two or three of the smaller parties surpass the 3% representation threshold and obtain parliamentary seats. In the latter case, a low percentage (below 40%) for the leading party may result in a very slim majority or even a hung parliament.
Opinion polls have indicated that the Coalition is expected to make significant gains in the election, with predictions ranging from 4% to 5% of the electorate.^[13]
Prior to the election, in June 22, the participating parties agreed on a common declaration. The signed ''Declaration of the Coalition of the Radical Left'', outlined the common platform on which the Coalition would compete in the following election and outlined the basis for the political alliance.^[14]
The Coalition has also expanded from its original composition in 2004. On June 20 2007, the Communist Organization of Greece (KOE) announced its participation into the Coalition.^[15] On August 21 the environmentalist Ecological Intervention (Greek: ''Οικολογική Παρέμβαση''), also joined,^[16] and on August 22 2007, the Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI), also announced its own participation to the Coalition.^[17]

Participating parties

With the aformentioned additions, the Coalition currently comprises of the following parties (in alphabetical order):^[18]

★ Active Citizens (''Ενεργοί Πολίτες'')[1]

★ Communist Organization of Greece (KOE)

★ Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI)

★ Ecological Intervention (''Οικολογική Παρέμβαση'')[2]

★ Internationalist Workers Left (DEA)

★ Kokkino (''Κόκκινο'')[3]

★ Movement for the United in Action Left (KEDA)

★ Popular Unions of Bipartisan Social Groups (''Λαϊκές Ενώσεις Υπερκομματικών Κοινωνικών Ομάδων'')[4] (LEYKO)

★ Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA)

★ Synaspismos (SYN)

★ and several independent leftist activists

Electoral results

'Results since 2004 (year links to election page)'
Year	Type of Election	Votes	%	Mandates
2004	Parliament	241,539	3.3%	6
2007	Parliament

References

1. The transliterated name "Synaspismos" is used throughout the article to refer to the Coalition of the Left, of Movements and Ecology in order to avoid confusion with the Coalition of the Radical Left itself.
2. Press conference of the "Space", May 2001
3. Overcoming division, article by Georges Mitralias, June 2001
4. A catalogue of such electoral alliances
5. Greek Social Forum
6. Synaspismos press release, 17 December 2003
7. 15/01/2004 article from the Greek language edition of the BBC
8. KOE press release, February 2004
9. 28/09/2004 article by the newspaper Epohi
10. 23/05/2004 article by the newspaper Epohi
11. Chapter 9 of the Political Decisions of the the 4th convention of Synaspismos
12. Alavanos' main convention speech at the convention
13. See the relevant Wikipedia entry
14. Full text of the Declaration
15. http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?lngEntityID=811154&lngDtrID=244
16. Ecological Intervention press release
17. http://www.dikki.org/
18. List of participants from the Coalition's website

External links

★ Coalition of the Radical Left

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★ Communist Organization of Greece

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★ Democratic Social Movement

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★ Ecological Intervention

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★ Internationalist Workers Left

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★ Kokkino

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★ Movement for the United in Action Left

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★ Popular Unions of Bipartisan Social Groups

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★ Renewing Communist Ecological Left

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★ Synaspismos