1. The CC hails the thousands of KKE and KNE members, supporters, individuals who cooperate with the Party and voters who contributed to the electoral battle of the KKE.

We especially hail those who took the step for the first time, the young people who casted their first vote in favour of our Party.

We hail those who joined forces with us in this electoral battle. This rallying is based on the joint struggles and action throughout the previous period within the workers’–people’s movement, on the struggle against the anti-popular policy of the New Democracy government, the business groups, the EU, NATO.

The electoral strengthening of the KKE that won 7.23%, 425,000 votes and 26 MPs —a rise that has a nationwide general dimension— is the positive step forward in this electoral battle, within the current negative correlation of forces. The new forces that are rallying around the Party can from now on provide new impetus on the path of counter-attack, of class struggle with mass characteristics, of the regroupment of the labour movement, of the promotion of the anti-capitalist and anti-monopoly social alliance; they can encouragewomen and the youth to join the movement in more massive terms.

The strengthening of the political influence of the KKE in important urban centres, in working-class neighbourhoods, in areas where a large part of industrial and economic production is concentrated, as well as its emergence as the third party in Attica, are hopeful signals. The large percentages of the KKE among private sector employees, farmers, university students and productive age groups are also encouraging.

The KKE will be the only workers’–people’s opposition against the new government. This should be the main criterion for further joining forces with and strengthening the party in the face of political developments of any kind.

2. The electoral strengthening of the KKE is an indicator of the rise of the Party’s prestige among the working class and the people. Τhis prestige derives from the fact that the Party has been at the forefront of all the crucial fronts of struggle duringthe past period; from the emblematic workers’ struggles and demonstrations; from its stance during the pandemic; from its position and action against the imperialist war in Ukraine and Greece’s involvement in NATO plans; from the militant demands, the support and solidarity expressed by its Organizations, members and cadres during natural disasters while the bourgeois state had abandoned the people; from the struggles of farmers and the self-employed; from the action of the KNE among university and school students, which was also expressed by the first placeof "Panspoudastiki" in the student elections for the second consecutive year.

The KKE was at the forefront of all the critical moments during 2019–2023 when New Democracy was in government, consistently in opposition from the point of view of the people’s interests both when struggles were waged and in Parliament, highlighting the class political choices of the government and the consensus of the other parties. This was the case with the pandemic, the imperialist war in Ukraine, but also the train crash in Tempe, where the KKE highlighted the responsibility of the policy of privatization and liberalization of transport promoted by all the governments to serve the profitability of business groups.

This stance allowed broader workers’–people’s forces that had believed in the “first time left” to now trust the KKE, acknowledging its consistency and stability in exposing the deception attempt of SYRIZA, despite their different opinions and thoughts.

The KKE was politically vindicated for its political stance during 2012–2015 against the new rise of social democratic illusions brought by the electoral strengthening of SYRIZA, as well as for the fact that, regardless of all the electoral losses it faced, it stood firm and did not consent to government alternation.

During SYRIZA’s governance in 2015–2019, the KKE revealed the character of its government policy as a political support for the interests of business groups through the infamous "proud negotiation", the deception of the people with the false dilemma in the July 2015 referendum, the passing of the 3rd memorandum together with ND and PASOK and the promotion of a new round of anti-popular attack. At the same time, despite all the difficulties, the KKE and its forces in the movement were at the forefront to keep the flame of struggle alight, thus contributing to maintaining open channels of communication with workers and popular forces that supported social democracy and other bourgeois parties.

During this period, the KKE was able to better explain its stance towards bourgeois governments to broader popular forces, to present its own perception of workers’ power and governance, its character, the conditions for its realization, and the role that the KKE will play in it.

The rise of the KKE’s prestige also concerns its ideological–political intervention around strategic issues of history, economy and the contemporary ideological-political struggle, as well as the defence of socialism as the contemporary, realistic and necessary economic, political and social system; the only way out for the working class and the people of the country.

It also concerns the Party’s ability to make correct predictions about the course of developments, to enlighten and warn the people and the workers about them.

The Party’s prestige is also enhanced by its broader ideological intervention in a series of issues concerning advances in science, technology, education and health; its intervention in the discussion of contemporary social issues; its rich activity in the field of culture, which has enabled the rallying of broader forces and is also expressed by the mass participation in the KNE-Odigitis festivals.

We know that a broader section of workers, popular forces and the youth that is currently rallying around the KKE, does not agree with us on everything, is not firmly convinced of the political way out we propose and of the way to achieve it. However, we believe that today we are more capable to convince them. In the coming period, through our ideological-political intervention and discussion, but also through joint action with thousands of people on various fronts of struggle, we will be more capable to achieve a stronger rallying of forces around the KKE and its policy, its positions and its scientifically elaborated programme, which guarantees its consistent militant stance in favour of the workers’–people’s interests and in conflict with the goals and strategy of the business groups.

3. The correlation of forces between the main bourgeois parties, i.e. New Democracy, SYRIZA and PASOK, but also the Hellenic Solution, that emerged from the elections, shows not only the possibilities of forming a government that will continue in the same anti-popular direction, but also of a consensus and support from forces in opposition to political choices in favour of capital, against the workers and the people. Throughout the election period, the KKE had highlighted that the programme of the next government is predetermined and anti-popular, since it will be called upon to continue the policy in favour of business groups and thus at the expense of the working class, the toiling self-employed, the farmers and the youth. It is also clear that, despite their differences and confrontations, they converge on key strategic directions and, above all, on the fact that they jointly serve the interests of the big business groups, the EU and NATO.

SYRIZA in particular, both in government and in opposition during the past four years, has been an important vehicle for the conservative turn of the people, ultimately fuelling the predominance of New Democracy.

4. The choice to not proceed to the formation of government and resort to new elections, under the new electoral law, has only one purpose: To steal the workers’-people’s votes that were not trapped in the dilemmas of an anti-popular "stability". It concerns the attempt to elicit a broader popular consensus on the anti-popular work of the next government and the workers and the people must oppose it as such.

The KKE is ready to fight this battle as well.

 The aim of an even stronger KKE in the next elections is the answer to every attempt to blackmail and steal the people’s vote and the parliamentary seats.

The need for an even greater strengthening of the KKE is constant and urgent, since their agenda clearly has an anti-popular character.

There is only one dilemma for the people: they will either give their consent to support the government’s anti-popular policy or they will strengthen the only real opposition from the point of view of the workers’-people’s interests. As has been demonstrated, social democracy of either SYRIZA or PASOK cannot be a real pro-people opposition.

The only force that will stand tall against the single-party anti-popular government of New Democracy is an even stronger KKE, whose positions and policies are in the opposite direction of all bourgeois politics, liberal and social-democratic.

Because the KKE assumes the heavy responsibility to be the only real opposition, inside and outside the Parliament, which will oppose the new ND government when the others — SYRIZA and PASOK — will consent, as they did in the previous years, to the most important and emblematic choices of the government both by their vote in the Parliament and by their stumbling blocks to the workers’-people’s movement. The workers’-people’s forces know from their experience that the dead-end quest to find a solution in the processes within social democracy between SYRIZA and PASOK is not the answer.

Because the vote for the KKE is the answer to the attempt to blackmail the workers’–people’s consent, to foster submission and defeatism towards the new anti-popular government policy.

Because the vote for the KKE is the only choice against the system, since its action paves the way for the overthrow of the system.

Because the vote for the KKE is the only answer to the attempt of the system to utilize various fascist formations as a reserve, at the same time that, as it turned out, other parties praise and whitewash them.

Those who until the last moment were irresolute and did not take the step to strengthen the KKE, should now dare to do so with greater determination.

Those who did take the step, have more reason ahead of the new elections to repeat it, to consolidate it, to reach out to others to strengthen the Party.

The workers and the youth do not need an opposition that says "we will settle accounts later", but a popular opposition that will "settle accounts" with the anti-popular policy on a daily basis, that will clash both inside and outside the Parliament.

5. The most difficult times lie ahead of us with the escalated attack of capital to intensify exploitation, using the entire anti-labour arsenal created by the governments of ND, SYRIZA and PASOK. From tomorrow, therefore, the working class and the popular forces will face a new round of intensification of the attack in the framework of commitments to capital, the EU, NATO, against the backdrop of new developments and facts:

- The implementation of the new memorandum prerequisites for the disbursement of the Recovery Fund and Stability Pact installments.

- The transition to the strict fiscal policy, which in essence means a new round of social cuts and austerity in the name of primary surpluses as demanded by the EU, aiming at the investment grade.

- The possibility of a new financial crisis, whose warning signals are already present in the USA and the EU, while the Greek capitalist economy is slowing down.

- The developments regarding the imperialist war in Ukraine and the pursuit of Greece’s greater involvement alongside NATO plans.

- The negative settlements in Greek-Turkish relations being launched under the umbrella of NATO.

The new government issues will manage these issues the at the expense of the workers’-people’s interests. The forces of the bourgeois opposition of SYRIZA, PASOK and other parties are already converging on these issues.

6. The KKE will utilize the power that the people gave it and will give it again to contribute both inside and outside the Parliament to organize the workers’-people’s resistance against the agenda of the new government. The greater number of MPs that the KKE elected and will re-elect in a number of constituencies means further support for the workers’-people’s demands, more voices for the defence and promotion of the workers’-people’s interests in the Parliament.

At the same time, the strengthening of the KKE gives courage and optimism to Communist Parties that struggle to change the correlation of forces in their countries, to the workers’ struggles that are breaking out in the effort to regroup the international communist movement.

Today a current is strengthening, albeit weak, of questioning the dominant policy, its class character, the parties and governments that serve it, the state of capital; a current that is not looking for new saviours from the alternation of governments. The quest for a solution to today’s problems is strengthened through organized struggle, participation in the movement, collective action. To some extentthis was expressed in the mass demonstrations for Tempe. The slogan "Only the people can save the people, on the path of the overthrow of the system" touches the people. Those elements fill us with optimism and great responsibility. The way out lies on the path of class struggle, in the battle to change the negative political correlation of forces. This is the content of the daily action of the communists, the members of KNE, of the friends and supporters of the Party: The regroupment of the labour movement, the steps in the advance of the social alliance, the formation of a mass and robust workers’-people’s movement that will not be limited to the repulsion of the attack, but will open the way to the overthrow of this decayed exploitative system, with a broader rallying around the political proposal of the KKE, its Programme for workers’-people’s power, for the socialist perspective.

7. We call upon all the members of the KKE and KNE, the friends and supporters of the Party.

We do not stop our political activity even for a minute. From today, we intensify our action and effort to increase the strength of the KKE.

Even those who were irresolute, did not support the KKE and chose SYRIZA, PASOK, ND or other parties, can now see that the strengthening of the KKE, inside and outside the Parliament, is the only solution for the defence of the workers’-people’s interests.

There is therefore considerable scope to face new false dilemmas and blackmail and, above all, to make the KKE even stronger.

We have taken one step forward; let's take the next ones!

They stand alone against us all! Because only the people can save the people, with an even stronger KKE.

The CC of the KKE

22/5/2023