Thread by @G_Katsambekis

The electoral law in #Greece & why changing it (again!) now would be another hit to the already suffering #democracy 🧵

Greece does not have a stable electoral system enshrined in its constitution. This means that electoral laws can & do change from time to time. 1/

Since the 1974 restoration of democracy, Greece has mostly used a so-called ‘reinforced proportionality’ system that is proportional only in name, as it tends to disproportionately benefit the largest party & excludes smaller ones due to a 3% threshold for entering parliament. 2/

The long-established parties of the post-authoritarian era (ND & PASOK) have historically tended to tweak or change the electoral law with the aim to undermine opponents & benefit themselves. 3/

One such instance was in 1989, when the then dominant #PASOK saw defeat coming, so it changed the electoral law to a much more proportional version, to make it much harder, almost impossible, for its rival, the then rising ND, to form a government on its own. 4/

This led to governmental crisis, requiring 3 consecutive elections until the formation of a stable government by ND & Konstantinos Mitsotakis, the father of the current PM. This govt, to no surprise, changed the electoral law again in 1990 back to ‘reinforced proportionality’. 5/

In an effort to combat the manipulation of the electoral law by parties that happen to command a majority in parliament, a constitutional amendment in 2001 dictated that changes in the electoral law would normally apply to elections after the immediately following ones. 6/

The only exception would be if an enhanced majority of 2/3 of MPs in Parliament voted in favour of the immediate application of said change as of the immediately following elections. This enhanced majority has never been achieved. 7/

The #SYRIZA-led government, fulfilling a long-standing pledge of the Left, changed the electoral law ιν 2016 to a system of proportional representation; abolished the 50-seats bonus for the 1st party (in place since 2008); but maintained the 3% entry threshold for parliament. 8/

The 2016 SYRIZA electoral law was voted by a simple majority (179 out of 300 MPs), so it did take effect in the immediately following elections of 2019. It will take effect in the forthcoming elections (probably around spring or early summer 2023). 9/

In the meantime, the #Mitsotakis government came to power in 2019 & among the first things it did was to change back the electoral system to ‘reinforced proportionality’, voting a law that disproportionally benefits whoever comes first. 10/

This electoral vote was voted by 163 out of 300 MPs so, again, it could not take effect in the immediately following elections of 2023; only after that. This new law would allow the first party to form a parliamentary majority with even as low as 37.5% of the popular vote. 11/

The aim of #Mitsotakis was clear. Assuming that #ND will maintain dominance over #SYRIZA, this electoral law, when in force, would allow it for an easy parliamentary majority if it manages to rally its traditional electoral base, which historically has been around 40%. 12/

The hope of #Mitsotakis is that political parties belonging to the broader progressive camp (#SYRIZA, #PASOK, #MeRA25) will not manage to form a coalition government after the elections of 2023, which will almost certainly be held under a truly proportional electoral system. 13/

In such a scenario, a snap election right after that would be held with the electoral law that #ND voted in 2020, boosting its chances for a parliamentary majority. 14/

However, after the destabilisation of the #Mitsotakis government under the weight of the ongoing #SpyingScandal & the declining vote share of #ND in opinion polls, the PM seems to want to make sure the cards are stacked even more in favour of his party. 15/

And this is why various ministers have already started to float the idea that the government might change again its own (!) electoral law, to give an even bigger advantage to whatever party comes first (and they assume, of course, that this will be them). 16/

If this is indeed pushed through the parliament, it will be a blatant self-serving legislative initiative, exemplifying the manipulation of the electoral law for party gains. Such practices are extremely detrimental to democracy. 17/

The fact that the government opens this discussion at a time when it's revealed it has been spying on journalists & political opponents only highlights the severity of the situation & the urgent need to defend #democracy, #representative_institutions & #rule_of_law in Greece. END