Greece: All the King's Men

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George Papandreou had outfoxed young King Constantine again. For five days the confidence vote raged over the King's third and latest choice as Premier, Elias Tsirimokos, 58, a left-leaning member of ex-Premier Papandreou's Center Union Party who broke away at Constantine's bidding to try and form a government. Fist fights and hubbub punctuated the session, and all the King's men and all of Papandreou's felt the pressure of last-minute efforts at coercion that included dark threats of murder. Tsirimokos spoke confidently of victory. The real winner turned out to be Papandreou, who, in his usual style, waited outside in the lobby before walking in dramatically to raise his hand and vote "no!"

The 159-to-135 vote that defeated Tsirimokos left Constantine's supporters beginning to wonder whether it might not have been preferable for him to accede to Papandreou's original demands for elections six weeks ago. In the interim, angry demonstrators, egged on by Papandreou's attacks on the "palace slaves," have whipped latent public distrust of the monarchy to a fever pitch. An election held now would probably not only return Papandreou to office, but be interpreted as a plebiscite on the monarchy as well.