University Students’ elections 2022:The communists are the first force

May 19, 2022

The results of the university students’ elections held on 18/05/22 in university students’ unions across the countrydemonstratedthe sweeping rise of the lists supported by the Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) under the name “Panspoudastiki KS” and the symbol of the red carnation. Panspoudastikigathered16,684 votes, i.e. 33.43%.

It should be noted that this year’s students’ elections were held for the first time after the pandemic, since the universities had adopted distance learning. Therefore, 3 out of 4 students voted in thestudents’ elections for the first time. Moreover, after 2019, many new Departments started operating in the context of the mergers of Institutions and the change of the academic map. That is why no direct comparison can be made with the nationwide aggregate results of the previous elections. However, it is clear that the lists supported by the communists this year emerged as the 1st force in the country’s students’unions, from being the 2nd force in 2019. This has happened for the first time in Greece since 1986.

At the same time, the grouping under the name DAPsupported by the ruling right-wing party of ND, which for many years has been the 1st force in thestudents’unions, recorded a big drop. This time its power was limited to 27.66%.

The forces of the social democratic party of SYRIZA, under the name BLOCO, were once againalmost non-existent, gathering 2.54%.

The grouping of PASP, supported by the old social democratic party of PASOK, gathered 10.13%, while another 2 groupings of various opportunist forces gathered 10% and 5.2% respectively.

The remaining percentages are shared by independent candidates.

Statement by the Secretary of the Central Council of the KNE

In a statement to the media outlets, Nikos Ambatielos, Secretary of the Central Council of the KNE, stressed that “Three years after the last election process, the return of more than 50,000 students to the ballotswould leave an indelible mark on a historic election struggle, in which the students’ votes gave‘PanspoudastikiKS’ its highest percentage in decades.

After 4 decades, ‘Panspoudastiki’occupies the 1st place nationwide.

The young men and women, who have struggled to become students again, take the students’ unions into their own hands again and bring them to life, against thedissolution plans made by the government, keeping alive their dreams of the studies and the university they need.

The forces of ‘Panspoudastiki’ record a sweeping rise, occupying the first place in dozens of students’ unions and institutions of the country.

It is the decisive, bold, and confident step of the younger generation to come forward, to take the lead, and to gain what it deserves together with the people. It’s the hopeful spark that can ignite the fire of disobedience, resistance, and struggle for all the things that students dream of.”

The Secretary of KNE also noted that “government policy was condemned, as shown by the great fall of DAP”, while he underscored that the students did not support the social democratic forces that abstained from their struggles, but with their vote for‘Panspoudastiki’ they give a promise that they will struggle for their rights.

“We salute the thousands of students who participated in and supported the lists of ‘Panspoudastiki’. Today’s result of thestudents’ elections fills us with optimism but also burden us with the responsibility to fulfil the great task of the militantregroupment of the students’ movement, in a direction of conflict with the policy that deprives university students of the studies and the future they need.”

19.05.2022