December 1915 Greek legislative election explained

Country:Kingdom of Greece
Type:parliamentary
Previous Election:May 1915 Greek legislative election
Previous Year:May 1915
Next Election:1920 Greek legislative election
Next Year:1920
Seats For Election:All 335 seats in the Hellenic Parliament
Majority Seats:168
Party Name:no
Image1:Skouloudis.jpg
Leader1:Stefanos Skouloudis
Party1:Nationalists
Seats1:256
Colour1:0000FF
Leader2:Georgios Theotokis
Party2:Theotokis supporters
Seats2:21
Colour2:7CFC00
Image3:Dimitrios_G._Rallis.JPG
Leader3:Dimitrios Rallis
Party3:Rallis supporters
Seats3:18
Colour3:800080
Prime Minister
Posttitle:Prime Minister after election
Before Election:Stefanos Skouloudis
Before Party:Independent (politician)
After Election:Stefanos Skouloudis
After Party:Independent (politician)

Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on .[1] They were boycotted by Eleftherios Venizelos and his party, the Liberal Party, as unconstitutional, a result of a confrontation with King Constantine I over the country's participation in World War I. Venizelos considered Greece as a close and loyal ally of the United Kingdom and France, while Constantine I, who was affiliated with the House of Hohenzollern (the German royal family), favored neutrality.

Although the electoral body supported Venizelos, Constantine insisted on his position and did not hesitate to confront the democratically elected government. Venizelos resigned and withdrew temporarily from the political fore, leading the crisis to its worst point.

Only right-wing parties participated in the elections. In a few months the crisis would almost become a civil war (the "National Schism") between the supporters of Venizelos, who created their own government in Thessaloniki, while the official government of Athens remained under the control of Constantine.

Notes and References

  1. [Dieter Nohlen]