Drassi

{{Infobox political party

| country = Greece

| name = Drassi

| native_name = {{Lang|el|Δράση}}

| logo = File:Drassi logo.jpg

| leader = Theodoros Skylakakis

| general_secretary = Melina Daskalakis

| spokesperson = Panagiotis Michalopoulos

| headquarters = 98Α, Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, 11528, Athens

| founder = Stefanos Manos

| foundation = {{start date|2009}}

| dissolved = {{start date|2019}}

| predecessor = The Liberals

| merged = New Democracy

| slogan = Citizens, not clients

| ideology = Liberalism{{Citation |title=Leader of liberal Drassi sees ND and PASOK disappearing|url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_10/05/2012_441430|newspaper=Kathimerini |date=10 May 2012 |access-date=25 May 2012}}
Postnationalism
Decentralization
Economic liberalism
Meritocracy
Neoliberalism

| national =

| position = Centre to centre-right

| european = Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

| europarl = No MEPs

| seats1_title = Parliament

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|300|hex=#f37021}}

| seats2_title = European Parliament

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|22|hex=#f37021}}

| seats3_title = RegionsThe counselors of the Regions.

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|39|725|hex=#f37021}}

| colorcode = darkorange

| website = {{URL|http://www.drassi.gr}}

}}

Drassi ({{Langx|el|Δράση}}, "Action") was a liberal{{cite book|author1=Claudia Wiesner|author2=Meike Schmidt-Gleim|title=The Meanings of Europe: Changes and Exchanges of a Contested Concept|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pluBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT143|year=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-134-45852-3|page=143}}{{cite book|author=Takis S. Pappas|title=Populism and Crisis Politics in Greece|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7mIGBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA59|year=2014|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-1-137-41058-0|page=59}} political party in Greece. The party was founded in 2009 by Stefanos Manos and was led by former New Democracy member Theodoros Skylakakis.

The party had no representation in the Hellenic Parliament or European Parliament. Drassi was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) party.{{Cite web |url=http://www.aldeparty.eu/en/members/political-parties |title=ALDE Party members | ALDE Party |access-date=2015-01-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130020810/http://www.aldeparty.eu/en/members/political-parties |archive-date=2012-11-30 |url-status=dead }}

History

Stefanos Manos left New Democracy (ND) in 1999 to found The Liberals, before later running on ND and Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) electoral lists in 2000 and 2004 respectively. Unlike The Liberals, Drassi was not founded as an expressly liberal party, but claims to espouse "common sense" as an ideological basis.{{cite web|url=http://www.drassi.gr/index.php?id=141 |title=Δράση. Περιβάλλον Παιδεία Πολιτισμός - ΚΟΙΝΗ ΛΟΓΙΚΗ |publisher=Drassi.gr |access-date=13 December 2013}}

In its first contested election, the 2009 European elections, Drassi finished ninth with 0.8% of the vote. It subsequently did not participate in the general election in October 2009.

In the May 2012 legislative election, Drassi ran in electoral alliance with the Liberal Alliance. It won 1.8% of the vote finishing twelfth overall, directly behind the Democratic Alliance and Recreate Greece, which both had similar liberal ideologies to Drassi. Ahead of new elections in June 2012 legislative election, Drassi and the Liberal Alliance formed an electoral pact with Recreate Greece,{{cite news |title=Parties forge alliances ahead of June vote |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_21/05/2012_443034 |newspaper=Kathimerini |date=21 May 2012 |access-date=25 May 2012}} while the Democratic Alliance, which they had also approached, refused to join them and ran on the New Democracy list instead.{{cite news |title=Bakoyannis returns to ND fold |url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_30287_21/05/2012_443232 |newspaper=Kathimerini |date=21 May 2012 |access-date=25 May 2012}}

In the 2014 European elections, Drassi ran in electoral alliance with Recreate Greece.{{cite news|url=http://news.in.gr/greece/article/?aid=1231312762|title=Συνεργασία της Δημιουργίας Ξανά με τη Δράση στις ευρωεκλογές|date=2014-04-22|access-date=2014-04-22|publisher=in.gr}}

On 5 January 2015, Drassi's leader Skylakakis and the leader of The River party, Stavros Theodorakis, gave a press conference announcing a joint electoral list for the January 2015 legislative election.{{cite web|url=http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_06/01/2015_545968|title=Drassi leader urges party members to stand with Potami|work=Kathimerini|date=2015-01-06|access-date=2015-01-07}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sofokleous10.gr/greek-news/294452-liberal-drasi-party-joins-forces-with-to-potami-in-upcoming-general-elections|title=Liberal Drassi party joins forces with To Potami in upcoming general elections|date=2015-01-06|access-date=2015-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107083604/http://www.sofokleous10.gr/greek-news/294452-liberal-drasi-party-joins-forces-with-to-potami-in-upcoming-general-elections|archive-date=2015-01-07|url-status=dead}}

On 3 September 2015, Drassi decided to again support The River in the upcoming snap September 2015 legislative election.{{Cite web|url=http://www.protothema.gr/politics/article/505732/stirizei-potami-i-drasi-tou-skulakaki/|title=Στηρίζει Ποτάμι η Δράση του Σκυλακάκη|date=3 September 2015}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.skai.gr/news/politics/article/291359/i-drasi-stirizei-to-potami-stis-ekloges-/|title = Ειδήσεις Οικονομία Πολιτική για την Ελλάδα και τον Κόσμο | Skai.gr| date=3 September 2015 }}

In January 2017, Drassi decided to migrate with ND.{{Cite web|url=https://www.iefimerida.gr/news/314127/i-drasi-kai-episima-sti-nd-ti-dilose-o-kyriakos-mitsotakis|title=Η Δράση και επίσημα στη ΝΔ -Τι δήλωσε ο Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης | ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΗ|date=19 January 2017}}

In February 2019, Drassi was suspended.{{Cite web|url=https://www.protagon.gr/epikairotita/anastoli-leitourgias-gia-ti-drasi-stirizei-ti-nea-dimokratia-44341788417|title = Αναστολή λειτουργίας για τη Δράση – Στηρίζει τη Νέα Δημοκρατία}}

Ideology

Drassi was in favor of a small and flexible government through the decrease of the portion of Greek government expenses the party considers unnecessary.{{cite web|url=http://www.drassi.gr/index.php?id=165 |title=Δράση. Περιβάλλον Παιδεία Πολιτισμός - Οικονομία |publisher=Drassi.gr |access-date=13 December 2013}} Moreover, the party supported privatizations of public assets, using the proceeds for the repayment of undervalued Greek debt in secondary capital markets.

Drassi had been described by the media as a "pro-business-party" supporting free-market reforms.{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/node/21554549|title=There are all too many alternatives|newspaper=The Economist|date=2012-05-12|access-date=2015-01-07}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/greek-politicians-debate-the-debt-crisis-and-election-issues-a-833577.html|title=Greek Politicians Debate Election Disaster: 'If We Leave the Euro, Everything Will Be Worse'|work=Spiegel Online|date=2012-05-16|access-date=2015-01-07}}