The demand for a plebiscite

With the resignation of Tsouderos - a vehement supporter of the monarchy - from the position of the Prime Minister and the arrival of George Papandreou in Egypt, a new equilibrium of political forces was formed inside the exiled government which favoured the anti-royalist camp.

However, at this crucial conjuncture, the intervention of the British government was of decisive importance for the subsequent developments. Keeping George II firmly on the throne of Greece and ensuring his automatic return to the country after the liberation were the two constants of the British government's policy to Greece. This attitude openly defied the growing anti-royalist orientation of the majority of the Greek exiled government from 1943 onwards and the pressure from EAM/ ELAS for a plebiscite before the return of George II to the country.

As it became obvious that the last solution (plebiscite) had won over the majority of the Greek political leadership in Egypt, the British government advised George II to continue rejecting the condition of plebiscite. Nevertheless, the die had been cast: the Papandreou government had essentially accepted the condition as the basis for the Lebanon agreement. Isolated from the Greek political leadership, the King was forced to accept the plebiscite formula in 1944.