Democratic Social Movement
Δημοκρατικό Κοινωνικό Κίνημα
AbbreviationDIKKI
FounderDimitris Tsovolas
Founded1995 (1995)
Split fromPanhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK)
IdeologySocialism[1]
Social democracy[2]
Soft Euroscepticism[3]
Left-wing nationalism[1]
Political positionLeft-wing[4]
National affiliationSYRIZA (2007-15)
Popular Unity (2015-19)
United Popular Front-Agricultural Livestock Party of Greece (2019-?)
Free People (2021)
Website
www.dikki.org
DIKKI supporters in a Coalition of the Radical Left rally in 2007

The Democratic Social Movement (DIKKI; Greek: ΔΗΚΚΙ – Δημοκρατικό Κοινωνικό Κίνημα, Dimokratiko Koinoniko Kinima) is a social-democratic[5] political party in Greece. The party was founded in 1995 by Dimitris Tsovolas and several ex-members of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK), the then ruling social-democratic party.

History

Formation and early success

In the 1996 legislative election, DIKKI received 4.43% of the vote and 9 seats in the Hellenic Parliament. In the 1999 election to the European Parliament, the party received 6.85% of the vote and 2 seats in the European Parliament, and was a full member of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left group.[6]

Failures and disputes

After these initial successes, however, DIKKI failed to elect members to the Hellenic Parliament on two consecutive elections; it received 2.69% of the vote in the 2000 legislative election and 1.8% of the vote in the 2004 legislative election.

After the 2004 election, Tsovolas unilaterally decided to dissolve DIKKI and give the party possessions away to the Greek state. That decision led to a conflict between the party leader and the National Committee, who voted against the dissolution; there are accusations that Tsovolas went through these actions, because he was planning to be readmitted in PASOK in the near future.[7] The National Committee went to law and the court ruled that the party is legally administered by the national executive bodies, thus it cannot cease to exist unless the National Congress or the National Committee takes such decision. The party possessions were returned and Tsovolas was expelled.

Reorientation

In the local elections of 2006 DIKKI supported many tickets led by the Communist Party of Greece (KKE), and numerous party members (for the size of the party) were elected in local councils. Moreover, DIKKI participated in All Workers Militant Front (PAME), a trade unionist coordination centre closely related with KKE.

Although it was expected that co-operation between the two parties would become permanent, on August 22, 2007 DIKKI announced that it was participating in the Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA),[8] which received 5.04% of the vote in the legislative election held on September 16, 2007.

On February 20, 2015, the party announced it was severing ties with SYRIZA.

In the summer of 2015, it joined an alliance with Popular Unity. It would remain affiliated until June 2019, when it joined an electoral coalition with the United Popular Front and Agricultural Livestock Party of Greece.

In March 2021, it joined the Free People of George Trangas, from which it left a few months later.

Electoral results

Parliament

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of seats won +/-
1996 300.954 4.4 (#5)
9 / 300
2000 184.598 2.7 (#5)
0 / 300
 Decrease 9
2004 132.933 1.8 (#6)
0 / 300
 Steady

European Parliament

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of seats won +/-
1999 440.191 4.7 (#4)
2 / 25

References

  1. 1 2 Anagnostou, Dia (2006), "Deepening Democracy or Defending the Nation? The Europeanisation of Minority Rights and Greek Citizenship", Politics and Policy in Greece, Routledge, p. 128, ISBN 9780415376297
  2. ↑ Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko; Matti Mälkiä (2007). Encyclopedia of Digital Government. Idea Group Inc (IGI). pp. 398–. ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
  3. ↑ "Greece: Directory", Central and South-Eastern Europe 2004, Europa Publications, p. 294, 2003, ISBN 9781857431865
  4. ↑ Clogg, Richard (2003), "Greece: History", Central and South-Eastern Europe 2004, Europa Publications, p. 280, ISBN 9781857431865
  5. ↑ Bale, Tim (2021). Riding the populist wave: Europe's mainstream right in crisis. Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-009-00686-6. OCLC 1256593260.
  6. ↑ GUE/NGL Site
  7. ↑ "P. Mantas, Tsovolas expelled his history on his own". Archived from the original on 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2008-12-12.
  8. ↑ DIKKI press release Archived 2008-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
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