Socialist Workers' Party (Greece)

Socialist Workers Party of Greece
Σοσιαλιστικό Εργατικό Κόμμα
Founded as OSE in 1971
Newspaper Workers Solidarity,
Socialism from Below
Ideology Revolutionary Socialism, Trotskyism
National affiliation Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow,
United Anti-Capitalist Left
International affiliation International Socialist Tendency
Website
http://www.sekonline.gr/
Politics of Greece
Political parties
Elections

The Socialist Workers Party of Greece (Greek: Σοσιαλιστικό Εργατικό Κόμμα, SEK) is an affiliate of the International Socialist Tendency (IST). It is the second largest organisation in IST behind the Socialist Workers Party of Britain.

SEK originated among a group of exiled Greek students in London, led by Maria Styllou and Panos Garganas, and a group of greek students during the occupations of universities against the greek dictatorship. In the beginning they organised themselves as the Socialist Revolution Organisation (OSE). While in London they developed relations with the International Socialists led by Tony Cliff and were won to the politics of the IST.

In the early 1980s, the OSE developed closer links with the IST, grew fairly rapidly and in 1997 changed their name to the Socialist Workers Party. In 2001 a minority left to form the Internationalist Workers Left (DEA) organisation. SEK publishes a weekly newspaper, Workers Solidarity (Εργατική Αλληλεγγύη), and a bi-monthly magazine, Socialism from Below (Σοσιαλισμός από τα Κάτω).

The SEK is active in a number organisations, including the Greek "Stop the War Coalition", "United Against Racism and the threat of Fascism".

In the 2006 Greek local elections for Athens-Piraeus Super Prefecture, the SEK supported candidates under the banner "Συμμαχία για την Υπερνομαρχία" (Symmachia gia tin Ypernomarchia = Union for the Super Prefecture) which took 1.32%.

Electoral results and tactics

Results since 1996
(year links to election page)
Year Coalition Type of Election Votes % Seats
1999
None
European Parliament
8,049
0.13
-
2000
Parliament
proposed vote to Synaspismos, KKE, DIKKI
2004
Anti-Capitalist Coalition
Parliament
8,313
0.10
-
2004
Anti-Capitalist Coalition
European Parliament
11,938
0.19
0
2007
United Anti-Capitalist Left
Parliament
10,595
0.15
0
2009
Anticapitalist Left Cooperation for the Overthrow
Parliament
24,735
0.36
0

External links