Desperate times make for strange bedfellows

Greek voters’ turn to the left was not a communist overture, but rather a plea for action to stem the torrent of hardship they have suffered in the recent past, writes Anna Diamantopoulou

The message from the Greek election must not be misunderstood. The fact that more than 36% of the country’s voters cast their ballots for Syriza, a far-left political party, does not mean that Greece has suddenly become communist. Rather, the electorate was expressing its indignation, despair, and wounded national pride.

Greece’s European partners need to understand that the election result was an explicit rejection of five years of policies that have failed to deliver the expected results.