Greece legalizes Communist Party after 27 years

On September 23, 1974, the Government of National Unity in Greece issued Legislative Decree 59/1974, allowing the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) to operate legally after 27 years of being outlawed.

This followed the fall of the Greek dictatorship and the return of Konstantinos Karamanlis to Greece two months prior. The decree permitted the free operation of all political parties, effectively overturning the legal framework that had banned the KKE since 1947, during the Greek Civil War.

The ban originated with Law 509/1947, enacted by a government led by Themistoklis Sophoulis, which dissolved the KKE, the National Liberation Front (EAM), and related organizations. This law imposed harsh penalties, including life imprisonment or death, on those promoting ideologies aimed at violently overthrowing the government. The decree rescinded this law along with other restrictive legislation from the dictatorship and earlier periods.

Karamanlis connected the legalization to the restoration of democracy, stating that the measures were a “most significant contribution” to restoring democratic legality. He also indicated the government would soon hold free parliamentary elections, which ultimately took place on November 17, 1974. While the KKE was now legal, it had split in 1968, and the Greek communist left entered the post-ban era divided into several factions with differing ideologies.

These factions briefly united for the 1974 elections under the banner “United Left.”