The center left is the proverbial myth of our political life; it is a myth that has supported almost everyone who has governed the country in the past fifty years. The myth that became a legend!

The authentically right-wing Konstantinos Karamanlis turned to the center-left as part of the much-debated political “expansion”, in order to increase his political strength in his final term as Prime Minister.

Andreas Papandreou proved to be an unrepentant continuer of the two-front struggle; namely the policy that his father Georgios Papandreou implemented, refusing to cooperate with the Left, which had been struggling to establish a popular front against the Right.

Konstantinos Karamanlis’ main partners were secretly happy when they were accused of being pro-socialist. Amongst them was Georgios Rallis, who succeeded Karamanlis as Prime Minister in 1980. The only one who did not claim to be a center-leftist at the time was Evangelos Averof, who famously said that he “will not become a social-Epirot…”

The center-left space was mostly dominated by PASOK, which rejected every direct or indirect proposal from the Left for a political cooperation.

Taboos were shattered in 1989 when the Right (New Democracy) formed a government alliance with the communists. PASOK however was unwavering, possessed by an infatuation with monopolizing power and (leftist) ideology.

When PASOK woke up, those who once formed the center left had spread their wings and came to obvious conclusion:

That the center left is a space of free thinking that consciously voters for what is clearly in the country’s interest, which is why some may be surprised by the major changes in voter preferences.

That, ultimately, the center left is indivisible, is not given away and of course, is not inherited.

Stavros P. Psycharis