50,000 Greek Jews Vote in First “free” Election

When Greek citizens go to the polls today in the first “free” election in recent Greek history, 50,000 Jewish voters will have a difficult problem to solve.

It is only in the last year or so that Jews have been permitted to vote in the general election for the general lists. Previously they had voted in an “electoral college” for Jewish candidates and had no say in the general election. A campaign of many years for removal of this discrimination was successful when the government of Panyoti Tsaldaris abolished the electoral college and gave the Jews free franchise.

The Jews threw their support to Tsaldaris in the next election and the weight of their votes gave his party a majority in the Salonica district. The Venizelist or Liberal Party immediately launched a bitter anti-Jewish campaign against the Jews, threatening reprisals. During the Venizelist insurrection the rebels attacked the Jews in a number of Thracian and Macedonian towns.

After King George had pardoned the Venizelist rebels and made it possible for them to put up a ticket in the present election their leaders began to agitate for reestablishment of the Jewish electoral college. Following protests, they dropped the scheme hastily and their leaders assured the Jewish community that no anti-Jewish campaign would be conducted by the party. Two Jews were named as candidates on the Venizelist ticket.

In today’s election eight Jews in all are candidates for seats in Parliament. They are divided among the party of former Premier Tsaldaris, that of ex-Premier Venizelos and the party headed by the ex-dictator, Marshal Kondylis.

The Tsaldarists, as well as the party led by ex-dictator Kondylis, have been making a strong bid for the Jewish vote which is almost certain to go overwhelmingly to these two tickets. Both Tsaldaris and Kondylis while in power protected the Jews from anti-Semitic attacks many of which were inspired by Nazi agitators, and Tsaldaris abolished the hated electoral college.

Now the Venizelist press has started a campaign warning the Jews against voting as a unit for either of these two tickets. One of the influential Venizelist organs has demanded the removal of the names of the two Jewish candidates from the party list, declaring that the Jews won’t vote the Venizelist ticket anyhow.

In the last few general elections in which Jews participated, Venizelist threats to induce the Jews to stay away from the polls only resulted in leading the Jews to vote as a unit for the Government party. The same result is most likely to happen this year-except that there is no government party and Jewish sympathies are divided among at least three of the seven parties contesting the election. In view of the divided Jewish vote, the Jewish community is pessimistic that any Jews will be seated in the new National Assembly.