Athens, Greece

Following the stagnation of negotiations between the interim government headed by the ERE and the Center Union headed by Georgios Papandreou, it appears as though Greece was about to enter its umpteenth political crisis of the year.

Every proposal for electoral law proposed by the interim government led by Pipinelis was shot down by the opposition and, in some cases, the King himself. The ERE was floundering. The second half of the year of 1963 seemed clear to the Greek people that the ERE was incapable of government, a bureaucratic mess that was fatiguing the people.

Papandreou for his part, continued his unrelenting struggle against the ERE hurling accusations of corruption near daily, while making grand promises to the Greek people.

However, after the third proposal of Panagiotis Pipinelis to reform the electoral law was shot down by Papandreou’s Party, the Palace, and even some deputies of the ERE, Pipinelis announced to Parliament, his resignation. This was a great boon for Papandreou, as the King had no choice but to call for an election. Karamanlis, the former prime minister who had just resigned earlier this year, had return to Greece for Paris and had urged the King to allow the ERE to lead the government into elections (which is what he had proposed after his resignation).

King Paul, by all accounts and slightly anachronistically, was over Karamanlis’ shit. He did not allow the ERE to form an interim government and instead created a new interim government that was allegedly neutral, headed by the Supreme Court. While another Greek government has collapsed, elections are at least now scheduled.a