Last modified: 2016-07-18 by ivan sache
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The Coalition of the Radical Left (Συνασπισμός Ριζοσπαστικής Αριστεράς) - Syriza (website) - is a left-wing political party in Greece, originally founded as a coalition of left-wing and radical left parties. It was founded in 2004 (as an alliance) and on 22 May 2012 as a political party.
The coalition originally comprised a broad array of groups (thirteen
in total) and independent politicians, including social democrats,
democratic socialists,left-wing populist and green left groups, as
well as Maoist, Trotskyist, eurocommunist but also eurosceptic
components. Additionally, despite its secular ideology, many members
are Christians who, like their atheistic fellow members, are opposed
to the privileges of the state-sponsored Orthodox Church of Greece. From 2013 the
coalition became a unitary party, although it retained its name with
the addition of "United Social Front". Although its main leader
clarified that Syriza "does not support any sort of Euroscepticism",
at the same time, the party is seen as a mildly eurosceptic force.
It has its roots as far back as the "Space for Dialogue for the Unity
and Common Action of the Left" (Χώρος Διαλόγου για την Ενότητα
και Κοινή Δράση της Αριστεράς) in 2001 (colloquially known as "Space"). The "Space" was composed of various organisations of the Greek Left that, despite different ideological and historical backgrounds, had shared common political action in several important issues that had arisen in Greece at the end of the 1990s, such as the Kosovo War, privatizations, social and civil rights. Even though the "Space" was not a political organisation, but rather an effort to bring together the parties and organisations that attended, it gave birth to some
electoral alliances for the local election of 2002.
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.
This led to the eventual formation of the Coalition of the Radical
Left, in January 2004.
The parties that originally formed the Coalition of the Radical Left
in January 2004 were:
- Synaspismos (SYN);
- The Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA);
- The Internationalist Workers Left (DEA);
- The Movement for the United in Action Left (KEDA), a splinter group
of the Communist Party of Greece;
- Active Citizens;
- Other independent left-wing groups or activists.
Tension built up and resulted in the split of the Internationalist
Workers Left and the formation of Red (Kokkino), both of which remained
within the coalition. The Coalition of 2007 has also expanded from its
original composition in 2004. On 20 June 2007, the Communist
Organization of Greece (KOE) announced its participation into the
Coalition. On August 21 the environmentalist Ecological
Intervention also joined, and on 22 August 2007, the Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI) also announced its own participation to the Coalition. At the end of June 2008, Xekinima announced that it would join the coalition. In June 2010, the Ananeotiki ("Renewing Wing") of radical social democrats in Synaspismos split away from the party, at the same time leaving Syriza. The minor Unitary Movement (a PASOK splinter group) also
joined the coalition in March 2012. For the second general election in
June 2012, Syriza re-registered as a single party (adding the "United
Social Front" moniker) instead of as a coalition.
Syriza as a unitary party was formed through the merger of the
following parties:
- Active Citizens:
- Anticapitalist Political Group (APO);
- Citizens' Association of Riga (Velestinli);
- Communist Organization of Greece (KOE);
- Communist Platform of Syriza (Greek section of the International
Marxist Tendency);
- Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI);
- Ecosocialists (Greece);
- Internationalist Workers' Left (DEA);
- Movement for the United in Action Left (KEDA);
- New Fighter;
- Radical Left Group Roza;
- Radicals:
- Red;
- Renewing Communist Ecological Left (AKOA);
- Synaspismos (SYN);
- Union of the Democratic Centre (EDIK);
- Unitary Movement
and a number of independent leftist activists.
[after Wikipedia].
Esteban Rivera, 4 February 2015
Syriza originally used a plain white flag with the party's emblem (image) in the middle and either the party's full name (photo, 2007) or acronym (photo).
The party subsequently used flags with a red background (photo, photo) or a purple background (photo). Red, purple and green flags are featured on the party's emblem, but there is no evidence of the actual use of a party's flag with a green background.
Esteban Rivera, 4 February 2015
