The electoral campaign in Greece. A first approach

di Nikos Vafeas
in Memoria e Ricerca n.s. 8 (2001), p. 79

This paper investigates the history of electoral campaigns in the Greek national state from the time parliamentary elections were institutionalized, in 1844, to nowadays. First, it examines the different phases, the internal chronology, of what can be defined as an "electoral campaign"; then, it focuses upon the historical evolution of the institutional framework that regulates the succession of these phases. Moreover, it presents the collective actors that have played an essential role in the voting process in Greece in different periods, with special reference to their socio-economic characteristics, as well as to their specific function within the political system. Finally, it depicts the different components of Greek electoral campaigns, whether these are verbal or material. In other words, the form and the content of political discourse, as well as the material means and the canvassing rituals of Greek electoral campaigns are examined.