Pantelis Kapsis

The last major battle of the December events – and one of the deadliest – was that of the Gerokomeio (Old Age Home), during the three-day period between January 2nd and 4th, 1944.

The government forces, supported by British paratroopers and armored vehicles, ultimately triumphed over the tough 9th regiment of the ELAS (Greek People’s Liberation Army).

It has been 80 years since Athens became the focal point of a bloody civil conflict, with the battles, which lasted about a month, going down in history as the December Events.

PASOK celebrates 50 years of existence today, having been founded by Andreas Papandreou on September 3rd at the Capital Hotel in Syntagma. Protothema.gr marks this anniversary with five articles by Pantelis Kapsis, Nikos Felekis, Dimitris Pagadakis, Dimitris Danikas, and Stefanos Tzanakis.

The transition period, known as Metapolitefsi, began at 2 am on July 24, 1974, when the French presidential plane landed at Ellinikon Airport. Konstantinos Karamanlis was greeted like a hero by thousands of citizens who had gathered in the middle of the night to welcome him.

The Olive Tree, the temporary alliance between PASOK and three other smaller center left parties, has announced its candidates for May’s European Parliament elections.

Deputy Culture Minister Pantelis Kapsis, a former journalist who is responsible for the creation of a new public broadcaster, said on Wednesday that he would run in the coming European Parliament elections on the ticket of Olive Tree, which is PASOK’s alliance with center-left groupings.

NERIT, the public broadcaster that will replace ERT, will begin broadcasting on April 27, Deputy Culture Minister Pantelis Kapsis said on Tuesday.

Pilot broadcasts will start next month, Kapsis told Vima FM.