Communist parties

The separate exit poll conducted jointly by six polling agencies, after Sunday's general elections, presents a range expected to be reached by each party. The poll again shows Kyriakos Mitsotakis and New Democracy achieving a comfortable win over the main opposition.

Greek Communist Party secretary-general Dimitris Koutsoumpas voted in Lamia on Sunday and called on Greek voters to give his party a strong mandate.

"Until voting stations close tonight we must all be there to make the Greek Communist Party strong and take it higher, as this is the only way to have a strong, popular, combative opposition," he said.

The fines imposed on political parties for illegal poster pollution not only concern one party, nor are they driven by a money collection logic, Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis told Skai on Tuesday, commenting on the reactions of the communist KKE party to the penalty it received from the municipality.

With the election looming, conservative New Democracy has a 21.7-percentage point lead over main opposition SYRIZA, according to a poll of voter intentions based on expected valid votes conducted by Alco on behalf of Alpha TV and presented on Monday evening.

The secretary-general of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), Dimitris Koutsoumbas, hailed his party's strong showing in the elections, especially in the urban centers and working-class neighborhoods as a promising message for the party in view of the second ballots.

The participation rate of overseas residents in the 2023 elections has reached 79.6%, according to official data. 

Out of a total of 22,857 registered voters in the special electoral rolls for overseas residents, 18,203 cast their votes, while 4,654 abstained.

Greek university student elections are set to take place on May 10, with the New Democracy-affiliated DAP-NDFK and the KNE youth wing of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) expected to be the main contenders. Last year's elections were contested by both parties, with both sides claiming victory.

The intention of the government and the opposition to prevent convicted neo-Nazi Ilias Kasidiaris from taking a fresh run at Parliament with his new party is obvious. I don't know if it will work, though, because history has shown that such efforts rarely have the desired effect and those being barred can simply bypass the system by forming a new party.

Aleka Papariga, the former general secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), will not contest the next election for the party, thus bringing to an end a 30-year stint as MP.

The KKE said the party made the decision with the agreement of Papariga, 77, who headed the party from 1991 to 2013.

The great composer conveyed his wish via a letter to the leader of the Greek Communist Party (KKE) Dimitris Koutsoumbas