The political confrontation in 1961 was marked by institutional aberrations and parastate interpositions to the elections result. These operations, which were publicly censured by G. Papandreou’s Centre Union Party as ‘elections of violence and fraud’, were not an exception in post-civil war Greece. However, their weight lies in the fact that they initiated political actions by the Centre Union during 1961-63 (Anendotos Agonas, meaning the unrelenting struggle), which put an end to ERE’s long-standing rule.

The uncontrollable activity of these parastate machinations during that time culminated in the assassination of EDA’s deputy, Grigoris Lambrakis. All this contributed to the expansion of social polarization that subsisted throughout that period, due to the fact that the government maintained the institutional arsenal used in post-civil war Greece (special measures for those who differed in opinion, harsh repressive legislation).

Furthermore, the austerity policy pursued by ERE, even though it ensured stability and development (low inflation etc.), affected the low income groups. All this advanced the defeat of ERE in the elections of 1963. However, the Centre Union was to obtain an absolute majority in new elections in 1964.