Elections in Greece: Vote Not for The Same. The voters' ticking factors.

On the 25th January, Greeks voted overwhelmingly against their previous government remaining in power.
The against vote comes as no surprise and is justified if one looks at what Greeks have gone through - albeit, not a very judicious one at this moment.
That government imposed austerity measures with the counter-promise of reform. The result? Little reform, an overwhelming public sector, 1.55 million unemployed *(the 5th highest in the world)...
In other words, 270 bill euro in aid, austerity, unemployment and... not much good to show for it.

Of course, Greece is better off now than it was 3 years ago, for sure. But not better enough...



But what makes voting Greeks tick???

On two separate occasions I happened to discuss voters in Greece with two University professors, both candidates, both subsequently voted into office.

These were short chats, rather than lengthy discussions, but none the less informative and inspiring.
I understood that the outcome of elections ion Greece is largely influenced by four factors:

ignorance: a large part of the population is unusually ignorant of key financial and economical parametres and unaware of the mechanics of public finance. This is markedly visible across the board with students at all disciplines.

television: as anywhere in the world until now. The Greek particularity is that there is no challenge from the media. Probably because Greek journalists themselves suffer from the same ignorance -- whatever the case, no-one has ever provided a tough challenge to a politician, live, on television. Unless of course, it is a person officially rejected, i.e. right-wing. And never has anyone ever questioned "left-wing" politicians.

left wing is religion: its declarations are to be believed in, rather than accepted through rational thought. All others are infidels.

emotion: as opposed to rational, or slightly critical thought... Or even pragmatism.


Henceforth, it is easy to understand that manipulating Greece's vote can be an easy job for a crafty player. Such as the late Mr A Papandreou, a US citizen of Greek descent who succeeded in hoodwinking the electorate for numerous elections up until his death. A true master if there ever was one!