The work of the 20th Congress of the KKE was successfully completed

The 20th Congress of the CC of the KKE was held at the headquarters of the party's CC from the 30th of March to the 2nd of April.

"We strengthen the KKE, for a powerful labour movement and social alliance. For power-socialism." This slogan of the 20th Congress of the KKE was prevalent everywhere. It adorned the enormous banner draped across the front of the headquarters of the CC of the party. It was apparent inside the meeting hall in the speeches of the delegates.

Everywhere there was enthusiasm and excitement, even before the work of the Congress began on Thursday. This was clear in the faces of the comrades, delegates and hundreds of others who had been invited to the opening of the Congress, who visited the special exhibition on the 100-year history of the KKE, with additional material from the KKE's archives.

As well as in the eyes of all those who received the special publication of the CC of the KKE on the lives and death of the 28 members of the CC of the KKE, who were executed or killed, consistently  at the forefront of the struggles of the working class and people.

The General Secretary of the CC, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, presenting the Report on behalf of the outgoing CC noted "We assess our activity, we draw conclusions, we set tasks."And the discussion developed over the following days with precisely this goal. The strengthening of the party so that it is always the party for social overthrow, so that it can implement its historic, vanguard role, utilizing and deepening the contradictions of the capitalist system through class struggle.

Along with the elected delegates, observers comprised of veterans of the EAM resistance and DSE together with invited cadres of KNE followed the beginning of the Congress and the presentation of the Report. Dozens of guests were present at the opening of the Congress, representatives of the country's social, political and cultural life, representatives of the arts and science, sports, local government, representatives from trade unions, from the women's movement. Together with us at this important moment for the party, were militants that have worked for many years with the KKE, inside the ranks of the labour movement, the farmers' movement, the self-employed movement, in the struggles of the women and youth.

The messages of greetings from 102 Communist and Workers' Parties that reached the HQ of the CC of the KKE confirm the international resonance of the Congress.

Every corner of the building had been suitably arranged through the many days' of voluntary work and effort in order to host this important event. The contribution of all the material used to provide the meals during the days of the Congress and the voluntary work of dozens of comrades in every sector were just as valuable for the success of the Congress.

The permanent exhibition, with recent additions, on the history of the DSE and the course of the revolutionary movement in our country, which is located in the reception area of the offices of the CC of the Party attracted a great deal of interest during the opening day. These exhibits were recently added to by the dozens of unique publications and materials from the KKE's archive related to the 100th anniversary of the Great October Revolution.

Shortly before the presentation of the Report, there was a highly emotional moment when musicians from various parts of the packed meeting hall began to play a very well-known melody, which became clearer when dozens of young people from amongst the delegates' section began to sing "The Guide", which had been written by the communist poet Kostas Varnalis.

There followed a short film with images from the 100-year history of the party.

The Presidium addressed a special salute, in a very emotional atmosphere, on behalf of the party to the dozens of veteran comrades and militants in the meeting hall. There was a specific reference to the 65th anniversary of the execution of Nikos Belogiannis, member of the CC of the KKE, and his three comrades, Dimitris Batsis, Nikos Kaloumenos and Ilias Argyriadis, which took place on the 30th of March 1952.

The reference to the cadres of the party, members of the CC and PB for many years, who had passed away in the four years since the 19th Congress. There was a minute' s silence, followed by prolonged applause, inside and outside the hall, before the presentation of the CC's Report to Congress.

In the Report present by the GS of the CC of the KKE, Dimitris Koutsoumpas, there was reference to certain characteristic information regarding the inner-party discussions that preceded the Congress: "The entire pre-congress process, the votes in favour of the Theses of the CC and the substantial and creative discussion constitute an important step, a legacy for the future. At the same time, these express the significant work that took place over all the previous years with the Programme and the other elaborations and positions of the party".99.3% of the party members in the Party Base organizations voted in favour of the Theses of the CC for the Congress. 99.9% of the delegates in Conferences of the Sectoral, Area and Regional organizations voted in favour of the Theses.

In addition, all the leading organs of KNE and Base Organizations took a position on the Theses. The Theses were unanimously approved in the Central Council, Regional and Sectoral Councils of KNE. 99.7% of the members in the Base Organizations of KNE voted in favour.

It should be noted that in the pre-congress discussion, which lasted 3 months, 262opinion-articles of members and friends of the Party and KNE were published in the daily newspaper-organ of the CC of the KKE, "Rizospastis" and in its theoretical journal ("Kommounisiki Epitheorisi"). 80, 000 people acquired a copy of the Theses of the CC. 850open meetings were held all over the country to discuss the Theses of the CC, with the participation of 23,000 friends of the KKE and KNE.

70 delegates spoke during the work of the Congress. The substantial agreement with the Theses and Report of the CC was expressed in the discussion. The determination and militancy in the effort to strengthen the KKE in every aspect, ideological-political-organizational. Significant experience from the activity of the party during the previous years was discussed- a period, during which the strategy of the KKE successfully confronted difficult and complex international and domestic conditions.

There was a great deal of reflection about how the KKE will become more capable in its task to regroup the labour movement, for the construction of the social alliance, in an anticapitalist-antimonopoly direction, about how it will become more capable in the struggle against imperialist war, in its contribution to the International Communist Movement, as regards party building, particularly in the work places, as regards the support it provides to KNE.

The Report and Closing Remarks of the CC of the KKE were unanimously approved. The Report of the Central Audit Committee was unanimously approved.

The 20th Congress also unanimously adopted the Political Resolution of the Congress. In the next period, the Political Resolution will be translated into many languages and uploaded onto the foreign language web pages of the Party.

The work of the 20th Congress of the KKE was completed with the election of the new Central Committee and the Central Audit Committee. The Central Committee in its first meeting elected comrade Dimitris Koutsoumpas as the General Secretary of the CC of the KKE.