1964 Greek legislative election


Parliamentary elections were held in Greece on 16 February 1964. They resulted in a clear victory for Georgios Papandreou and his Center Union party. Papandreou subsequently formed the 37th government since the end of World War II.

Background

The government led by Panagiotis Kanellopoulos of the National Radical Union resigned on 25 September 1963, after which Papandreou formed an interim government on 28 September. As no party had a majority in the Parliament, Papandreou's government initiated preparations for elections on 3 November. Although the Center Union emerged as the largest party, allowing Papandreou to form a new government, it also soon resigned. King Paul accepted Papandreou's resignation on 31 December 1963 and Ioannis Paraskevopoulos formed an interim government to serve until the 1964 elections.
The ERE had been weakened prior to the elections when Constantine Karamanlis abandoned politics and exiled himself in Paris. The new ERE leader, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos, formed an alliance with the Progressive Party of Spyros Markezinis.

Results

Aftermath

Shortly after the elections, Papandreou formed his first solid government, which would last till 1965. However, in 1965 the apostasia crisis, a confrontation between Papandreou and King Constantine II, caused the government to fall. It was replaced by a series of weak governments, comprising centrist defectors and supported by the National Radical Union and Constantine. This eventually led to a military dictatorship starting in 1967, which exploited the endless political unrest.