The big surprise during the days before the elections for Euro-parliament in Greece is definitely the significant percentage increase of supporters of the Green ecologist party. They gathered 5% in the beginning of May and now, the green ones reached 8% and this way, they are officially the third political power in Greece. Observers believe that the green party is about to break the double-party model. Based on sociological surveys, it is expected that the party will pass over the three percentage barrier for entry into the national parliament.

The Green ecologists is a new party, even though the green idea has a long and serious presence in Greece. The party was founded in 2002 and it is a member of the European Green party. The Greek Green ecologists avoid the traditional political parties in Greece. They have two small offices in Thessaloniki and Athens but this is not a barrier for them to gain popularity. Is this party a real threat for the rest of the parties or is it just another political balloon? This is a question, which interests the headquarters of all parties in Greece. The attacks against the green ones continued throughout last week, and some of the main arguments were that the party is making statements similar to ones used in the past.

Those attacks relate to the statement of the party’s leader Mihalis Tremopoulos, who spoke in front of the “Macedonian minority” conference in 2006. The percentage increase of voters provoked a strong wave of attacks against the Green ones. A detailed analysis shows that the goal of the attacks is to stop the exodus of voters, especially from the left parties to the green ones. The secretary of PASOK Dimitris Repas admitted that many voters would choose a more fragmented political system and this way he tried to explain the increasing influence of the Green party. Throughout the week the general secretary of KKE Aleka Papariga repeatedly characterized them as “political balloons.”

Until now, the Green Ecologists are taking all attacks calmly. “Those attacks were expected, because of all our efforts and the fact that our supporters are increasing,” said the list leader for the Euro-parliament Mihalis Tremopoulos. Since its foundation until now, the Green ecologists have always fought for achieving a good election result. In the 2007 elections the percentage of their voters exceeded 1%. “We think global and act local” is their political slogan. The centers of all big cities are overcrowded by ecological problems, which make the presence of such political parties necessary.

From this point of view it is not by accident that this party got the biggest response among the voter in Athens and Thessaloniki, where lives half of Greece’s population. “Time needs us,” representatives of the party say and add that their aim is to “form a green political pole, which will differ from the left and right parties.” The standpoints of the green party about the education and the youth are very interesting. “Cancelling qualification exams and creating a reliable higher education,” is one of the points of view of the Green ecologists. They also believe that everybody above 16 years old should have the right to vote.

Though the green ones are betting on public figures and it is not by accident that their lists include many famous names, which will fight for seat in the Euro-parliament. The election results on June 7^th will be able to provide us with more precise information about the election profile of the Green ecologists and whether they will reality be a real political power in the future Greek political life.