There’s no denying it: the political landscape of old is gone forever. But no new landscape has taken its place. For now, at least.
The ruling party is showing some of the cracks that are to be expected from a second four-year term—cracks made manifest in the polls primarily in disaffiliation.
PASOK is making something of a come-back. SYRIZA, or what’s left of it, is adrift in a lake of oblivion. And the rest of the opposition remains indistinguishable, confused and fragmented.
So who’s there to stand up to the government?
It’s a mystery. A mystery which, though it won’t be easily solved, is increasingly looking like the key to Greece’s political affairs.
Now that SYRIZA no longer strikes fear into many–if any–hearts, the ruling party is in need of mechanisms for tackling its supporters’ disaffection. Which is to say it’s searching for a worthy adversary.
But it will be hard to find one while it’s out there on the track running against itself. That is, as long as it remains its own sole opponent, perhaps even its own judge.
The weeks ahead will bring two political stress tests: the budget and the presidential election. Of course, these will also put the cohesion of the governing party to the test.
Today’s To Vima sees ex-PM Antonis Samaras propose the candidacy of another ex-PM, Kostas Karamanlis, for the presidency. From one point of view, this is a sure-fire way to minimize the chances (if there were any…) of Karamanlis moving into the Presidential Palace.
It is obvious no Prime Minister would accept to govern “to order”, or at the behest and under the tutelage of his predecessor. Besides, it is not at all certain that Karamanlis would be willing to go along with such a scheme.
On the other hand, though, nature abhors a vacuum. And as long as the country continues to lack a political and parliamentary opposition, many will put themselves forward to fill the gap. No matter if they do so unsuccessfully.
It is telling that the weakened Left-end of the political spectrum has taken to referring with growing frequency to a “social opposition” of some sort. But even if such an opposition exists, it certainly doesn’t seem capable of providing the government with the powerful adversary it seeks and needs.
So let us return to our original observation. The old political landscape is no more, but a new landscape has yet to take its place.
Nor is any substantial change on the cards until the opponent the government seeks is found.
Because, just as nature abhors a vaccum, so a vaccum cannot replace nature.
