Voting in a constrained democracy: Evidence from the 1963 and 1964 legislative elections in Greece

What structures voting behaviour under conditions of electoral and political constraints? The impact of authoritarian legacies from dictatorship on voting behaviour is well documented, but we know comparatively less about voting in constrained democracies. This study focuses on the 1963 and 1964 Greek legislative elections, analysing a novel archive of opinion polls. It contributes to the understanding of voting decisions and preference formation under democratic constraints, highlighting the role of the centrist vote in bringing about political and economic change in Greece. We show that political concerns linked to authoritarian practices and political repression were not the most prominent at these elections, but concerns over economic conditions, social welfare and education were. We demonstrate the role of age group, socio-economic stratification, newspaper readership and economic concerns for voting for the centre and left-wing parties. This indicates an emerging political realignment which can produce meaningful political change even in cases of constrained democracy.