Below we publish the reports and statements of various Communist and Workers parties on their performance in the recently concluded European Parliament elections

THE results of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) in the European elections of June 9 are significant, as the KKE has recorded another significant rise, receiving 9.25 per cent and 368,000 votes. This is a significant increase compared to the 2019 European elections (5.35 per cent) and the 2023 parliamentary elections (7.7 per cent), when it had also increased its percentage. More importantly, the KKE did particularly well in working-class and popular areas.

This confirms the KKE's links with broader popular forces and demonstrates that the vote for the KKE expresses more stable ties that have been established in important struggles of the previous period.

It confirms some positive processes which have been going on for a long time and have been reflected both in the parliamentary elections and in the workers'-people's movement.

A current disputing the dominant policy, which is currently being implemented by the New Democracy government, is being stabilised and strengthened. The disengagement of workers'-people's forces from the bourgeois parties, the joining of forces of the former with the KKE and the rise of the party’s prestige, further advance.

·      It garnered 11 per cent in Attica, which includes Athens, Piraeus and other regions bordering the Greek capital and where a large part of the country’s working class lives and works. In Attica, the KKE again came third, with high percentages ranging from 10 per cent to 22.88 per cent in working-class and popular areas and municipalities. 

·      It came first, with 50 per cent, in the villages where the workers of the large industrial unit LARCO, who are fighting for their survival, live. It also took first place in the resin-producing villages of northern Evia, where the slogan “Only the people can save the people!” rang out loudly during the wildfires.

·      The KKE came second in the North Aegean Region, while on the island of Ikaria it came first with 41 per cent of the vote.

·      In Thessaly, the KKE exceeded 10 per cent. It came first and gained an increasing percentage in electoral districts such as Agia of Larissa, where mass mobilisations of farmers had taken place in the previous period.

·      There was a big increase of the Party in the villages of Chalkidiki, where the mine workers continue to struggle and have found a reliable ally in the KKE.

·      The KKE increased its percentages in the large urban centers of Epirus, Western Greece, Crete, etc.

On the evening of the elections, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, general secretary of the KKE, stated:

“All in all, the KKE recorded another significant increase compared to the 2019 European elections and the 2023 parliamentary elections, where it had also increased its percentages. This confirms the links of the KKE with broader popular forces and shows that the vote for the KKE expresses more stable ties that have been established in the important struggles of the previous period; in our continuous, unstoppable effort to communicate, dialogue and debate directly with the people, in various forms, every day of the year and not only during the pre-election period, in the workplaces and in the neighbourhoods.

“It confirms some positive processes that have been going on for a long time and that were reflected both in the parliamentary elections and in the workers’-people’s movement.

“Of course, the political correlation of forces remains negative for the people; however, there is a force to be reckoned with, the KKE, which can contribute to the organisation of the workers’-people’s struggle, the course of counter-attack and overthrow in the next day and in the face of the difficulties to come.

“We believe that the high abstention rate contains a significant amount of protest against the New Democracy government, as well as of contempt for both the bourgeois political system and its parties, and for the EU and its institutions, such as the European Parliament.

“Therefore, from now on, it is necessary that this protest, especially of the youth, is through their active participation in the movement, in the organised struggle and demands, that it acquires radical characteristics, that it meets with the revolutionary policy of the KKE.

“The next day is crucial. The KKE will utilise the strength given to it by the people to strengthen their voice where anti-popular decisions are taken, such as in the European Parliament, and above all to organise the workers’-people’s struggle in our country.

“The KKE will be there:

- To continue the regroupment of the workers’-people’s movement that has begun, to change the correlation of forces as a whole.

- To lead struggles to expose and prevent anti-popular guidelines and directives both in the European and the Greek Parliament.

- To strengthen the coordination of the struggles with the working class, the farmers, the intellectuals, the youth, the women in all the countries of the EU, where the people have taken to the streets of struggle against the EU of wars, monopolies, lobbies, corruption and exploitation.

The EU is not as powerful as it seems. The peoples must be vigilant, they must believe in their own power. Because what is always realistic is what is in the interest of the people. The Greek people, the peoples of all of Europe, have not yet spoken their last word.

The Electoral Victory of the 

PVDA-PTB in Belgium

THE Workers Party of Belgium (PVDA-PTB) is one of the big winners of the June 9, 2024 elections. It becomes the fourth party in the country, with 10 per cent of the votes at the national level. That is an increase from 566,000 to 763,000 votes, and from 12 to 15 Members of the Parliament (out of 150).

"This significant progress shows that there is a place for authentic Left-wing politics in Belgium," says general secretary Peter Mertens.

In Europe, the PVDA-PTB doubles its number of elected officials: in addition to Marc Botenga, the Left-wing party now also sends worker and trade union activist Rudi Kennes to the European Parliament. "He will be the megaphone of every social struggle that is being fought in our country and in Europe. This is very important at a time when the forces of hate and division, and of the far right, are becoming stronger in the rest of Europe."

The PVDA-PTB also breaks through in the major cities. In Brussels, the capital of Europe, it achieves 20.9 per cent (an increase of 7.4 per cent) and sends 16 representatives to the Brussels parliament. Notably, the PVDA-PTB secures second place in Antwerp, the second-largest city and the largest industrial center of the country, with 22.5 per cent (an increase of 10 per cent).

In the Flanders region, the PVDA-PTB more than doubles its representatives in the Flemish parliament, rising from 4 to 9 seats. In the Wallonia region, the PVDA consolidates its score at a high level, with 8 representatives in the Walloon Parliament.

The PVDA-PTB goes from a total of 56 parliamentary mandates in 2019 to 67 parliamentary mandates in 2024. Peter Mertens says: "The fact that many workers and young people will be members of those parliaments, is an important new message our party sends out.”

"We have waged a strong campaign and, as a Left-wing party, have substantially shaped the general election campaign," Mertens continues. "We managed to make the campaign revolve around the issue of a millionaire tax, among others."

This victory does not come out of the blue but is the result of a step-by-step process. "We have been building the party's growth for a long time, since our Renewal Congress in 2008. In 2012, we broke through in Antwerp and Liège. In 2014 and 2019, we achieved federal and regional gains and won our first European representative. And today, we are reaping the results of that process."

No fewer than 20,000 volunteers have made it a dynamic and enthusiastic election campaign. "I want to thank each and every one of them wholeheartedly. That fantastic team gives confidence for further building our party and for the upcoming challenges," concludes Peter Mertens.

Statement by the General Secretary of

AKEL (Cyprus), S Stefanou

WHEN society speaks, as a Party we have an obligation to listen. This is precisely what AKEL has always done throughout its long course and this is what we intend to do in this election as well.

The people’s verdict is clear and we have no intention of hiding behind any verbal outline: The election result of the European elections does not satisfy us.

Our first task, starting tomorrow, is to process it by decoding the messages that society is sending us. As a first reaction, however, we can note the following:

·      The loss of the second seat is a very negative development and determines today’s result.

·      In relation to the percentage we recorded, it certainly does not correspond to our electoral objective, which was to recover the momentum of AKEL Left Social Alliance.

In relation to the local government elections, AKEL fulfilled its electoral objectives by winning difficult battles. As a Party we gave priority to the specific characteristics of local communities and our choices were largely vindicated on an all-Cyprus scale. The stakes in the local elections have been decided and have a progressive outcome. With the results attained so far, many mayors from AKEL or supported by AKEL have been elected.

In these elections we are confronted with an unprecedented political phenomenon that is defining the electoral landscape. Fidias Panagiotou, a candidate with no political positions and no programme, recorded a high double-digit percentage. It is not our intention to flatter anyone and say what one wants to hear, which is precisely why we say that elections are a mirror that reflects social reality. A new reality where fellow citizens are opting for non-politics as a political choice. Obviously to send a message of depreciation to the political parties and to register their protest. These are issues of course that we will elaborate on in the day after. In any case, in our estimation, voting for Fidias Panagiotou is not a reward for some policy because quite simply there is no political content.

I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart those who voted both the AKEL Left Social Alliance electoral list in the European elections and the candidates we supported in the local government elections. I would also like to thank the cadres, members of AKEL and the Peoples Movement (the mass organisations of the Left), as well as the thousands of volunteers for their hard work.

I also want to welcome the participation of our Turkish Cypriot compatriots in today’s electoral procedure. An event with special political significance as these elections are the only opportunity for Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to vote together for the Cyprus and the Europe we want.

Finally, citizens should know that AKEL Left Social Alliance will continue to act politically with seriousness in confronting anti-social policies wherever from whatever side they originate. Our aim is to bring political engagement back to the forefront and fight for the formation of a broad progressive front together with society, demanding a better life for the many.

Statement of the KSCM

The EP Elections Were a Referendum on Petr Fiala's Government, Voters Said ENOUGH!

THE Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia (KSCM) thanks all the voters who decided to come to the European Parliament elections and put their trust in the only relevant Left-wing opposition coalition ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!

The re-election of MEP Kateřina Konečná is an appreciation of her successful work so far and an invitation to continue it. The second mandate for Ondřej Dostál is undoubtedly proof that listening to the call for the unification of Left-wing and patriotic forces, which would create a counterweight to the asocial government of Petr Fiala, the citizens of the Czech Republic, voted for it recognising it as the right decision. This will surely be an inspiration for other political parties as well.

The electoral success of the coalition ENOUGH! gives hope to the fact that the political map of the Czech Republic will be redrawn in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The result of this year's elections to the European Parliament is a definite drop in support for the government parties. They intend to increase their efforts to win new voters by introducing the so-called correspondence election, which the KSČM strictly rejects.