VIRGINIA PERIFANAKI ROTOLO

La nuova legge elettorale e il comportamento dell'elettorato femminile in Grecia 

N. 4/1985

Summary — The new electoral law introduced in Greece by the Papandreu administration on 20th February 1985 establishes three successive levels for the distribution of seats. At the first level, which conforms as before to the Hagebach Bischoff + 1 method, even the smaller parties are given the potential chance of parliamentary representation. At the second level, the old system’s debarring clauses are dropped, although certain mechanisms remain that favour the stronger parties. The third level is characterized by more marked support of the majority party. The "state deputies" also swell the numbers of the two leading parties.

Another singular feature of the Greek electoral system is the practice of having the electors vote separately in male, female and mixed sex polling stations, which makes it possible to form a fairly accurate picture of how the women vote. In the 1985 political elections 86,65 % of the votes went to two parties, Pasok and New Democracy, which represent the moderate forces of the left and right wing respectively. This overall trend is even more marked in the women’s voting figures. Analysis of women’s votes on the basis of residential areas shows that Pasok got more votes in rural districts, New Democracy in semiurban areas, and the Communist Party in urban areas. Women’s votes in the three largest Greek cities (Athens, the Piraeus and Salonika) show different figures according to the social make-up of the various electoral wards. Another significant feature is the low number of women candidates, especially since the introduction of the blocked lists, with the result that today, out of 300 deputies, only 12 are women.