Communist Party of Greece (Marxist–Leninist)

The Communist Party of Greece (Marxist–Leninist) (Greek: Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας (μαρξιστικό-λενινιστικό), ΚΚΕ (μ-λ), Kommounistiko Komma Elladas (marxistiko-leninistiko), KKE (m-l)), is a Maoist communist political party in Greece.

Not to be confused with the KKE/ML that was founded in November 1974 by the Organization of Greek Marxists-Leninists (OEML) which are dissolved. This article is about the new KKE(m-l), founded in 1976.
Communist Party of Greece (Marxist-Leninist)

Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας (μαρξιστικο-λενινιστικό)
LeaderGrigoris Konstantopoulos
FoundedNovember 1976
Split fromOrganisation of Marxists–Leninists of Greece
HeadquartersEmmanouil Benaki 43,
10681, Athens
NewspaperProletariaki Simaia
(Proletarian Flag)
IdeologyCommunism
Anti-Revisionism
Marxism–Leninism
Maoism
Political positionFar-left
ColoursRed
Parliament
0 / 300
European Parliament
0 / 22
Regions
8 / 725
Website
www.kkeml.gr

History

KKE (m-l) was founded in November 1976 by the majority of the Organisation of Marxists-Leninists of Greece (OMLE), itself a splinter group of the Communist Party of Greece since 1964. The minority became the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece (M-L KKE).[1][2] Despite further subsequent splits and the creation of smaller groupings, the two parties, KKE (m-l) and M-L KKE, have remained the major representatives of Maoism in Greece to this day.[1] The student wing of KKE (m-l) was the Progressive All-Student Unionist Camp (PPSP), which was "less popular [than the mainstream organisations], but still important" at Greek universities at the time.[2][3]

In October 1977, on the eve of the first death anniversary of Mao Zedong, KKE(m-l) co-signed a declaration with the Communist Party of Germany/Marxists–Leninists, Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist), Communist Party of Italy (Marxist–Leninist) and the Portuguese Communist Party (Reconstructed). The declaration, which was published on the front page of the Albanian daily Zëri i Popullit, rejected the Three Worlds Theory.[4]

KKE (m-l) experienced a crisis in 1982 when the majority of its members left the party. This crisis was caused as a result of both international (death of Mao Zedong, the rebuilding of capitalism in China, etc.) and national events (government of PASOK, etc.). So the members that fighter that crisis created the new KKE (m-l)

On 16 March 2012, spurred by the ongoing Greek financial crisis, M-L KKE and KKE (m-l) announced that they would jointly contest elections as part of the Popular Resistance - Left Anti-Imperialist Cooperation (Λαϊκή Αντίσταση - Αριστερή Αντιμπεριαλιστική Συνεργασία), distancing themselves both from the traditional Communist Party of Greece (KKE) and the leftist Syriza coalition.[1][5] KKE(m-l) and MLKKE contested the May 2012 legislative election under the slogan "Down with the Memorandum of Enslavement- The People don't owe anyone anything" and fielded 186 candidates across the country.[6]

Historically, KKE (m-l) has been most active and has supporters in Ioannina, Thessaloniki and northern Greece in general, in Crete, and the Aegean islands of Lesbos and Samos.[5]

Election results
Hellenic Parliament
Election Votes % Notes
June 1989 3,361 0,05%
November 1989 3,234 0,05%
1990 2,590 0,04%
1993 8,160 0,12% As part of the Left Struggle coalition
1996 10,443 0,15% As part of the Left Struggle coalition
2000 7,301 0,11%
2004 10,754 0,15%
2007 17,541 0,24%
2009 10,480 0,15%
May 2012 16,010 0,25% On a common list with M-L KKE
June 2012 7,592 0,12% On a common list with M-L KKE
January 2015 7,999 0,13% On a common list with M-L KKE
September 2015 8,873 0,16% On a common list with M-L KKE
2019 7,778 0,14%

Newspaper
A sample cover of Proletariaki Simaia (January 26, 2008)

KKE (m-l) publishes the biweekly newspaper, Proletariaki Simaia (Προλεταριακή Σημαία, "Proletarian Flag"), founded in early 1967 as one of the newspapers of OMLE.[1]

See also
  • Marxist-Leninist Communist Party of Greece

References
  1. Orestis Schinas (25 October 2014). "Η αριστερή αντιπολίτευση σε ΕΔΑ και ΚΚΕ" (in Greek). Eleftherotypia. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. Heinz Timmermann (1979). Die Kommunistischen Parteien Südeuropas: Länderstudien u. Queranalysen. Nomos-Verlag-Ges. pp. 264, 267. ISBN 978-3-7890-0470-4.
  3. Papadogiannis, Nikolaos. "From Coherence to Fragments: ‘1968’ and the Making of Youth Politicisation in Greece in the 1970s Archived 2014-11-29 at the Wayback Machine", Historein, A Review of the Past and Other Stories, vol. 9, 2009, p. 80
  4. Revolutionary Democracy. Joint Statement of The Communist Party of Germany (M-L), The Communist Party of Spain (M-L), The Communist Party of Greece (M-L), The Communist Party of Italy (M-L) and the Portuguese Communist Party (Reconstructed)
  5. "ΚΚΕ (μ-λ) και Μ-Λ ΚΚΕ ξανά μαζί ύστερα από 36 χρόνια" (in Greek). To Vima. 16 March 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  6. naftemporiki.gr. ΚΚΕ (μλ) - ΜΛ ΚΚΕ: Με 186 υποψηφίους στις εκλογές
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