Koutsoumbas interview to ANA: The only true opposition to ND's government will be the KKE

Only the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) can mount a true opposition to the anti-popular policies of the government, KKE General Secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas said in an interview with the Athens-Macedonian News Agency published on Sunday.

"There is today but one dilemma: Either you give consent to the support of the government's anti-popular policies or you support the only true opposition from the point of view of working-class, popular interests," Koutsoumbas said, urging voters to further strengthen KKE in the upcoming elections on June 25.

Analysing the results of the May 21 elections, he said they revealed a "negative correlation" in terms of the high percentage for New Democracy and the 70-plus percentage gained by parties that had previously passed through government and implemented austerity measures, as well as the high percentages for the far right. At the same time, this was "counterbalanced" by the rise in support for KKE, which even though still weak, was increasing and showed a trend of doubting the dominant policy, its class-based nature and the "capitalist state" and not seeking "saviours" through changes of government.

Koutsoumbas was confident that these results were not "transitory" and will be repeated on June 25, stressing that KKE was elected as the third party in strongly working-class areas. He disputed that working-class households that supported New Democracy did so because they "doing well" but were simply voting for what they hoped would be a "lesser evil".

He called on such voters to instead support KKE as a party that represents their interests, noting that the other parties supported the dominant policy in all crucial issues, including constitutional reforms. Their stance, he added, "confirms...that KKE will be the only true, strategic and militant opposition to the anti-popular government of ND."