1985 Greek parliamentary election

← 1981 2 June 1985 Jun 1989 →
All 300 seats in theHellenic Parliament 151 seats needed for a majority
Registered	8,008,647
Turnout	80.19% ( 1.31pp)
First party Second party   Leader Andreas Papandreou Konstantinos Mitsotakis Party PASOK ND Last election 48.07%, 172 seats 35.88%, 115 seats Seats won 161 126 Seat change 11 11 Popular vote 2,916,735 2,599,681 Percentage 45.82% 40.85% Swing 2.25pp 4.97pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Charilaos Florakis Leonidas Kyrkos Party KKE KKE Interior Last election 10.94%, 13 seats 1.35%, 0 seats Seats won 12 1 Seat change 1 1 Popular vote 629,525 117,135 Percentage 9.89% 1.84% Swing 1.05pp 0.49pp
Prime Minister before election Andreas Papandreou PASOK Prime Minister after election Andreas Papandreou PASOK

Parliamentary elections were held inGreece on 2 June 1985.^[1] The rulingPASOK ofAndreas Papandreou, was re-elected, defeating theliberal conservativeNew Democracy party ofKonstantinos Mitsotakis.

The election campaign was dominated by the ongoingconstitutional crisis instigated by Papandreou in March 1985 to advance his preferred candidate,Christos Sartzetakis, for thepresident of Greece and consolidating his power by removing presidential powers that were acting aschecks and balances against Papandreou's position. Thepresidential vote took place amid intense political tension and accusations of constitutional violations, ending with Sartzetakis becoming president. Mitsotakis as leader of opposition denounced the presidential election as illegal and vowed to remove Sartzetakis if his party won, deepening the constitutional crisis.

The confrontation from the presidential election continued into the general election campaigns andpolarized the Greek society.On one hand Papandreou invoked memories of theGreek Civil War (1946–1949) andJunta (1967–1974) associating New Democracy with theauthoritarian Right of the past, while Mitsotakis warned the public of Papandreou'stotalitarian designs. However, Sartzetakis' election ultimately benefited Papandreou and his party to secure victory in the general elections by consolidating support from the Left, even as they lost ground in the Center and Greece's worsening economy under his governance.

After the election, all political parties accepted Sartzetakis as president, ending the constitutional crisis, and theconstitutional amendments took effect in 1986. The monopoly of power and dominance of Papandreou in the elections caused strategic reevaluation and alignment in the New Democracy and communist parties,Communist Party of Greece (KKE) andKKE-Interior, leading to the fall of Papandreou in1989.

In 1985, Papandreou provoked a constitutional crisis by denyingKonstantinos Karamanlis a second presidential term and supportingSupreme Court justice Christos Sartzetakis instead.^[2] His choice sparked further controversy, as it was tied with proposals ofconstitutional reforms aimed at increasing the power of his position by weakening the presidential powers, which had served as checks and balances on theexecutive branch led by the prime minister.^[3][4][5] Theelection of the new president took place in March 1985 under a tense and confrontational atmosphere due to Papandreou's dubious constitutional procedures.^[6] The leader of opposition, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, denounced the vote illegal and vowed that if New Democracy won the elections, Sartzetakis would not be president by bringing the legality of the process toCouncil of State (Greek:Συμβούλιο Επικρατείας), further deepening the constitutional crisis.^[7][8]

Scholars argued that the crisis was motivated by Papandreou's desire to divert the Greek electorate's attention away from the worsening state of the Greek economy (unemployment increased under PASOK from 2.7% in 1980 to 7.8% in 1985,^[9] annualinflation of the order of 20%,^[10] and wideningtrade deficits).^[11][12] According to a public opinion survey byEurobarometer, the number of Greeks who believed that the economic situation worsened increased from 37.7% in 1983 to 70.2% in 1985, while those who believed that it improved fall from 31.5% to 12.8% in the same period.^[13]

Both parties continued their confrontations over the constitutional crisis in their election campaigns, where the political polarization reached new heights. Mitsotakis declared, "In voting, the Greek people will also be voting for a president"^[14] and also warned that there is a danger of sliding towards an authoritarian one-party state.^[15] The president's office responded, "The president of the republic will remain the vigilant guardian of the constitution."^[16] From PASOK,Agamemnon Koutsogiorgas described what was at stake not as "oranges and tomatoes but the confrontation between two worlds."^[17] Papandreou followed this by characterizing the upcoming elections as a fight betweenlight and darkness in his rallies, implying that PASOK represented the "forces of light" since its logo was a rising sun.^[17] Papandreou further argued that every vote against PASOK was a vote for the return of the Right with the slogan "Vote PASOK to prevent a return of the Right."^[18] The communists, persecuted by the Right in the 1950s, protested against Papandreou's dwelling on the past, pointing out that the 1980s were not the same as the 1950s.^[18]The Economist magazine described Greece as a "country divided," tearing itself apart and opening the wounds of Civil War.^[19]

Two days before the elections, Karamanlis broke his silence and urged the Greeks to be cautious with their vote (without explicitly advising who to vote), commenting that PASOK had brought "confusion and uncertainty."^[20] However, Karamanlis' statement was not broadcast on TV and radio, which were controlled by the governing party, i.e., PASOK.^[20]

This article is part ofa series on
Politics of Greece
Constitution Constitutional history Human rights
Executive Head of state President of the Republic (list):Konstantinos Tasoulas Presidential Departments Government Prime Minister (list):Kyriakos Mitsotakis Cabinet:Kyr. Mitsotakis II
Legislature President:Nikitas Kaklamanis Presidium Conference of Presidents Parliamentary committees Constituencies Apportionment
Judiciary Supreme Courts Special Highest Court Court of Cassation Council of State Chamber of Accounts
Subdivisions Regions Municipalities
Elections Political parties Recent elections: Parliamentary:2019 2023 (May) 2023 (June) Local:2014 2019 2023 European:2014 2019 2024 Referendums:1973 1974 2015
Foreign relations Ministry for Foreign Affairs Minister:Giorgos Gerapetritis Diplomatic missions of Greece Diplomatic missions in Greece KYSEA International Relations Passport Visa requirements Politics of the European Union
Greece portal Other countries
v t e

This article is part of a series about Andreas Papandreou
Prime Minister Governance Policies Economic Foreign Social Presidential elections 1985 1995 Constitutional revision Amendment Crisis Scandals Koskotas Yugoslav corn Opposition Leader Presidential elections 1980 1990 Elections 1964 1974 1977 1981 1985 1989 June November 1990 1993
v t e

In the event, PASOK was re-elected with 45.82% of the vote, losing approximately 2.3% from 1981, while New Democracy increased its share of the vote by 4.98% to 40.84%.^[21] Papandreou's gamble worked to his benefit because he gained from far-left voting blocks covering the losses from the centrist voters, and appealed to socialist voters who rejected Karamanlis' perceived hindrance of PASOK's policies.^[22][23][24]

Papandreou had the upper hand over Mitsotakis in which he argued that a vote for Mitsotakis is a vote for a constitutional anomaly,^[25] convincing a significant fraction of Greek voters.^[23][25]Richard Clogg argued that the large-scale rally by Mitsotakis on 2 June atSyntagma Square may have panicked communists to vote for PASOK; the communist parties lost a significant share of the vote.^[26]

Party		Votes	%	Seats	+/–
	PASOK	2,916,735	45.82	161	–11
	New Democracy	2,599,681	40.84	126	+11
	Communist Party of Greece	629,525	9.89	12	–1
	Communist Party of Greece (Interior)	117,135	1.84	1	+1
	National Political Union	37,965	0.60	0	New
	Liberal Party	10,551	0.17	0	0
	Fighting Socialist Party of Greece	10,369	0.16	0	New
	Revolutionary Communist Movement	6,951	0.11	0	0
	Communist Left	5,383	0.08	0	New
	Free	5,212	0.08	0	New
	International Workers' Union – Trotskyists	3,685	0.06	0	0
	Hellenic Christian Social Union	251	0.00	0	New
	Patriotic Right	172	0.00	0	New
	Olympic Democracy	162	0.00	0	0
	Enlighten Movement	49	0.00	0	New
	Greens–Ecological Party–Hellenic Alternative Green Movement	5	0.00	0	New
	Independents	21,263	0.33	0	0
Total		6,365,094	100.00	300	0
Valid votes		6,365,094	99.11
Invalid/blank votes		57,372	0.89
Total votes		6,422,466	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		8,008,647	80.19
Source: Ministry of the Interior,[27] Nohlen & Stöver[28]

Constituency	PASOK		ND		KKE		KKE-IN
	%	±	%	±	%	±	%	±
Achaea	52.53	3.39	36.14	5.52	8.84	0.35	1.42	0.38
Aetolia-Akarnania	46.27	2.06	41.67	1.77	9.90	0.59	1.11	0.46
Argolis	43.50	1.03	48.86	2.03	5.12	0.17	1.05	0.36
Arkadia	44.85	0.06	45.13	2.23	7.37	0.08	1.28	0.51
Arta	41.82	0.59	45.93	0.59	9.91	0.65	1.26	0.50
Athens A	39.76	4.68	44.05	9.63	10.64	1.99	4.37	1.11
Athens B	44.99	3.74	34.79	8.43	15.51	2.53	3.56	0.81
Attica	43.54	6.04	44.10	9.25	9.66	1.07	1.49	0.62
Boeotia	47.60	5.26	40.01	4.96	9.26	0.10	1.71	0.64
Cephalonia	44.07	1.51	37.33	4.37	15.63	1.69	1.74	0.53
Chalkidiki	44.70	1.27	47.82	1.97	5.45	0.05	1.01	0.20
Chania	54.96	0.30	31.16	6.05	10.44	1.52	1.29	0.49
Chios	52.33	3.36	39.09	3.59	5.91	0.27	1.65	0.64
Corfu	51.05	0.27	34.66	0.62	11.15	0.47	1.97	0.52
Corinthia	47.34	3.57	45.50	5.19	4.34	0.27	1.40	0.64
Cyclades	48.12	1.10	45.39	0.36	4.31	0.25	1.14	0.47
Dodecanese	56.67	1.52	36.10	5.81	5.08	0.19	1.12	0.32
Drama	47.69	0.78	46.31	2.57	3.71	0.80	0.99	0.25
Elis	50.22	1.98	41.61	1.17	5.99	0.28	1.03	0.51
Euboea	50.31	4.74	40.19	8.12	7.29	0.21	1.07	0.44
Evros	44.56	1.26	47.67	6.82	5.39	0.01	0.94	0.21
Evrytania	49.88	3.28	43.23	2.00	5.08	0.85	0.83	0.47
Florina	42.79	3.28	47.72	0.97	6.88	0.25	0.90	0.27
Grevena	46.55	1.37	39.17	5.00	11.56	0.75	1.26	0.30
Heraklion	64.32	1.58	26.02	6.82	7.38	1.08	1.19	0.35
Imathia	47.82	2.41	40.51	4.45	9.13	1.08	1.28	0.44
Ioannina	44.60	1.21	38.25	1.63	13.92	2.24	1.67	0.54
Karditsa	44.20	0.35	40.89	0.08	12.22	0.08	1.18	0.43
Kastoria	38.95	0.83	53.81	1.45	4.31	0.13	0.99	0.36
Kavala	47.45	1.13	42.79	3.93	7.30	1.51	1.17	0.13
Kilkis	41.90	1.24	46.37	4.52	9.23	1.98	0.98	0.10
Kozani	45.65	0.56	44.28	0.17	7.72	0.26	1.24	0.42
Laconia	34.87	0.55	56.92	3.12	5.46	0.04	1.02	0.44
Larissa	44.00	1.06	39.21	3.01	14.15	1.15	1.42	0.40
Lasithi	61.59	1.65	31.14	1.89	5.93	0.19	0.65	0.23
Lefkada	41.15	1.29	35.53	2.06	19.06	0.02	3.06	0.84
Lesbos	44.48	4.58	30.23	1.16	22.58	3.46	1.62	0.19
Magnesia	45.41	0.98	39.02	3.75	12.96	1.52	1.39	0.16
Messenia	40.86	1.25	48.70	2.90	7.83	0.37	1.12	0.51
Pella	49.13	1.56	43.08	3.66	5.49	0.61	0.93	0.31
Phocis	42.41	3.89	48.11	4.88	6.73	0.19	1.23	0.59
Phthiotis	45.45	2.89	45.06	5.17	6.90	0.54	1.26	0.50
Pieria	46.22	1.84	44.73	3.94	6.62	1.09	0.99	0.21
Piraeus A	44.08	4.09	42.54	8.37	9.55	2.65	2.66	0.74
Piraeus B	49.33	1.83	29.70	6.61	17.13	4.15	2.64	0.55
Preveza	42.96	3.22	42.73	1.60	11.60	1.30	1.22	0.31
Rethymno	57.20	6.05	34.33	9.66	6.03	0.45	0.97	0.38
Rhodope	30.42	20.41	49.92	10.06	2.90	1.21	0.65	0.13
Samos	40.99	7.20	36.20	5.01	19.30	1.82	2.48	0.02
Serres	43.04	2.26	47.75	3.70	6.68	0.86	1.03	0.31
Thesprotia	49.37	6.31	39.11	4.35	8.61	1.34	1.58	0.67
Thessaloniki A	44.67	2.96	41.21	8.39	10.31	2.79	2.66	0.58
Thessaloniki B	44.47	2.28	44.14	5.58	9.14	1.39	1.06	0.23
Trikala	45.31	2.71	38.31	3.27	13.61	0.12	1.04	0.19
Xanthi	32.22	2.62	45.97	9.15	2.35	0.43	0.85	0.12
Zakynthos	43.84	0.72	38.80	1.71	14.97	0.86	1.58	0.18
Source: Official election results[27]

After the election results, Mitsotakis accepted Sartzetakis as president and the head of the state.^[29] Papandreou'sconstitutional proposals took effect in 1986.^[30]

Despite New Democracy's increased share of the vote, PASOK's 5% lead, combined with concerns over the party’s two consecutive electoral defeats (in 1981 underGeorgios Rallis and in 1985 under Mitsotakis), sparked doubts among New Democracy's old guard about Mitsotakis's future as party leader. Facing internal dissent, Mitsotakis resigned in 1985 but later stood unopposed for re-election at the party congress, winning the backing of 82 of New Democracy's 126 deputies, 11 more than in 1984.^[31] His former rival for the leadership,Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, abstained from the vote and subsequently left New Democracy to establish a new political party,Democratic Renewal, taking nine MPs with him. Stephanopoulos criticized the ND leadership for its weak campaign performance in 1985 and for appearing to prioritize the interests of employers over those of workers.^[31]

The dominance of Papandreou in the elections caused frustration in the communist parties, who lost significant electoral share.^[32] Moreover, there was growing resentment towards PASOK for its authoritarian practices andmonopoly of power, while at the same time utilized the Left's ideology and voting power.^[33] In thelocal elections of October 1986, KKE party chose not to support candidates of PASOK in the three major municipalities (Athens,Piraeus, andThessaloniki), which provided an opportunity for ND to obtain a new power basis to challenge PASOK.^[34] PASOK described this unannounced collaboration as "unholy alliance."^[35]

The alignment between conservatives and communists against Papandreou strengthened as a series of growingcorruption scandals, most notably theKoskotas and theYugoslav corn affairs, began to engulf Papandreou's second administration. These scandals ultimately culminated in the "katharsis" after theJune 1989 elections, when the two groups formed a coalition government that led to the indictment of Papandreou over the Koskotas scandal.^[36]

• Parliamentary elections in Greece
• 1985 elections in Europe
• 1985 elections in Greece
• 1980s in Greek politics
• June 1985 in Europe
• Andreas Papandreou
• Konstantinos Mitsotakis

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles containing Greek-language text
• CS1 Greek-language sources (el)
• CS1 interwiki-linked names