Interview of Elisseos Vagenas, member of the CC of the KKE and Responsible for the International Relations Section of the CC, for the Portuguese “Jornal de Negócios”

-          How do you interpret the results of Sunday elections?

The change in government, with the coalition between SYRIZA and the Independent Greeks (ANEL), reflects the discontent and the anger of the people against ND and PASOK, the parties that plunged the people into poverty and unemployment during the capitalist crisis as well as the false hope that the new government of SYRIZA might follow a political line in favour of the people.

The KKE assesses that the coalition between SYRIZA and ANEL will follow the beaten track: the line of retreat and compromise, the commitments to big capital, monopolies, the EU and NATO with all the negative implications for the people and our country.

-          What do you expect from a Syriza led government? The decisions made in these first days in office pleased you?

Despite the noisy propaganda regarding the negotiations with the European partners-creditors and the partial differences, SYRIZA will continue the anti-people commitments of the country towards the EU. It has already admitted that on the next day there will be a new program in agreement with the creditors.  Even if it is not called a memorandum, it will contain anti-people conditions such as cuts to the universal free public social services.

The strategic guidelines of the program of SYRIZA operate in the framework of serving the interests of the business groups, the strategy of the EU.

The SYRIZA program, as regards the majority of workers and popular families, will share out poverty and unemployment to even more people.

As regards the issues of defence and foreign policy, SYRIZA is committed to NATO and the strategic alliance with the USA. The stance of the government regarding the issue of Ukraine, despite the blustering, lasted only three days.

On the fourth day the Greek government aligned with the EU and voted for the same sanctions against Russia that the previous ND-PASOK government had done (although it vehemently criticised them as an opposition party), with the door open for others soon. Another characteristic example is the statements of the Defence Minister who announced the continuation of the cooperation with Israel…

-          Syriza forged a coalition with the party Independent Greeks. Wouldn’t it make more sense a coalition with KKE? Why didn’t it happen?

No, it wouldn’t make any sense. Because SYRIZA and KKE are following totally different paths.

 Before the elections our party assessed that SYRIZA, as long as it does not have the majority in the parliament, will form a government with one of the parties that, like SYRIZA , are in favour of the country’s membership of the EU and NATO; the parties which recognise that the people have to pay for an unbearable debt for which they bear no responsibility at all, the parties which insist on the capitalist path of development.

The KKE has a different position on these fundamental issues and struggles for the unilateral cancellation of the debt, the disengagement of Greece from the EU and NATO, the socialisation of the basic means of production, with working class and people’s power. 

-          What’s going to be the KKE position in the Greek Parliament? Are you available to approve measures put forward by the government?

The KKE has as its basic task to strengthen the militant workers’-people’s opposition, inside and outside of Parliament, against the monopolies and their power, against the imperialist alliances. We will utilize this strength that was given to us by the people in order to contribute to the regroupment of the labour and to the development of the social alliance. We must exert pressure, we must struggle to win whatever gains are possible for the popular strata, for immediate measures to relieve the people. Amongst other things, we will carefully examine every draft law, with the workers’-people’s interests as our criteria, and we will support any law that offers real relief to the workers, something that we have always done.

-          What differentiates the KKE from Syriza?

The differences are enormous. SYRIZA is the new pole of social-democracy in Greece and is interested in managing bourgeois power, with a “leftwing visage”. The KKE is a party of the working class that seeks the overthrow of capitalist barbarity and the construction of another socialist-communist society.

-          Should Greece leave the Eurozone?

In our assessment, this is not enough. Without the other factors that we have described, such as the full disengagement from the EU and NATO, the socialization of the means of production, the different organization of the economy and society, the return to the national currency on its own could actually lead to worse developments for the popular strata.

-          All over Europe left leaning parties have been praising Syrizas victory. Do you feel KKE is still the true spokesman of left ideals in Greece?

A few years ago, the same parties celebrated the alleged “new wind” of Hollande’s election in France. Today we know how that developed.

The KKE, amongst other things, expresses the genuine militant traditions of the labour-people’s movement in our country. SYRIZA has cut every tie with these traditions.

-          KKE is known for its street protests. Will they continue?

We will continue with even better preparation and planning, utilizing every possibility and we will contribute so that line of counterattack is more widely adopted by the people and we will also contribute to the regroupment of the labour-people’s movement, which is the decisive factor that will determine the outcome of the struggle.

Elisseos Vagenas

Member of the CC of the KKE, Responsible for the International Relations Section of the CC