Here’s a concise, up-to-date overview of the Communist Party of Greece (Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας – KKE) as of December 2025:

Here’s a concise, up-to-date overview of the Communist Party of Greece (Κομμουνιστικό Κόμμα Ελλάδας – KKE) as of December 2025:

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Basic facts

  • Founded: 1918 (as SEKE, became KKE in 1924)
  • Ideology: Marxism-Leninism, staunchly anti-revisionist, pro-Soviet historically, today pro-Cuba/North Korea/Venezuela etc.
  • General Secretary since 2013: Dimitris Koutsoumpas
  • Youth organisation: Communist Youth of Greece (KNE)

Current electoral strength (2025)

  • In the June 2023 national elections: 7.7% → 21 seats (out of 300)
  • In the May 2023 elections: 7.2%
  • In the 2024 European elections: 9.3% (2 MEPs)
  • In most recent opinion polls (Nov–Dec 2025): fluctuates between 7.5–9.5%, usually the 4th or 5th party

Key characteristics

  • One of the very few European communist parties that never accepted Eurocommunism and still defends the Stalin era and the 1946–1949 Greek Civil War guerrillas (Democratic Army of Greece) as heroic.
  • Strongly anti-NATO, anti-EU, anti-IMF; calls for Greece to leave both NATO and the EU (“disengagement” – απόσχιση).
  • Refuses any cooperation with SYRIZA (considers it “social-democratic opportunism”) and obviously with New Democracy or PASOK.
  • Very disciplined, hierarchical structure; still runs on democratic centralism.
  • Strong presence in trade unions (especially PAME, its trade-union wing), among dock workers, construction workers, and university students.
  • Publishes the daily newspaper Rizospastis and the magazine KomEP (Κομμουνιστική Επιθεώρηση).

Recent activity (2024–2025)

  • Led large anti-war demonstrations against Greek involvement in Ukraine (arms shipments) and against the US/NATO bases in Greece.
  • Very active in the big student occupations of 2024–2025 against the introduction of private universities.
  • Organised massive rallies for the 2nd anniversary of the Tempi train disaster (Feb 2025), accusing the government of a cover-up.
  • 21st Congress held in April 2025; reaffirmed the same hard line, no major internal changes.

Public image

  • Seen by supporters as the only “consistent” anti-systemic force.
  • Often criticised (even by other left parties) as dogmatic, sectarian, and nostalgic.
  • Still uses hammer-and-sickle symbolism freely; its festivals (especially the annual KNE-Odigitis festival in September) remain among the biggest political-cultural events in Greece (tens of thousands attend).

In short, the KKE remains a stable, orthodox communist party with a loyal core (roughly 8–9% of the electorate), strong organisation, but no realistic chance of entering government because it refuses coalitions with almost everyone else.

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