FOUNDING  DECLARATION

As it was voted in Athens on the 10th of March 1996 by the Institutive Meeting of the two-day Founding Congress, the opening of which was called by the former Prime Minister and former Chairman of the  Supreme Court Mr IOANNIS GRIVAS.

1.   The swift progress of technology and the application of informatics in all the sectors led very rapidly to the creation of new ways of production and information. The change of the socio-economic conditions disturbs the older balances and leads deterministically to wider realignments. We live in the season of important historical changes, as it is proved by the developments in Western and Eastern Europe and in the former Soviet Union. We live in a time of reformations, that  have not settled yet, in a period of transition from the death of the old  to the genesis of the new. We march at a quick step to the creation of a new world, of a new culture. Each transitional period is characterized by some kind of confusion or even of a crisis, that lasts up to the formation of the new balances. Its intensity varies - for various reasons - from country to country. The change of the sociopolitical and economic conditions has led to a more general crisis, which appears in many partial forms, as crisis of ideology, as crisis of the political system etc.

2. The crisis in Greece, influenced by the international economic circumstances, is intensified by the particular domestic characteristics. The modern Greek society goes through a deep and chronic crisis, that  is extended day by day. It is a catholic crisis in all the levels, a political, economic, social, more widely cultural crisis, a crisis of institutions, a crisis in the relations between state and citizen, a crisis of confidence, a crisis of values. The faith in the person and in his value has been considerably shaken. The following perception is intensely cultivated, that it is not the work, the value and the ability of the person, but the relations and the acquaintances that are the basic means for the achievement of each aim. In the modern society there are no models,  but only that of the easy gain. The lack of meritocracy threatens our society.

3. It is historically confirmed, that when the more general socioeconomic conditions change, then changes are also caused in the structure and the operation of the regime. This exactly happens in our times. The more general crisis also appears as crisis of the representative system and of the parliamentarism. Between the constitutional - political reality and the constitutional regulation there is a dissension. The modern socio-economic conditions, the new ways of production and information, have led to the creation of a people of quality. The modern electorate differs considerably from that of the past. Today the citizens  in their big majority are educated, informed and aware of a great number of subjects. And the process of raising of the biotic level and of the general level of the people continues. The people do not and cannot henceforth stay politically uninvolved, they are not only the source of the power but they claim a considerable share in its exercise. Thus, a conflict is caused between the governors and those who are governed. The lower classes claim for what belongs to them: participation to the decision-making. The appearance of the people in the constitutional - political limelight changes the data of the structure and of the operation of the regime. The presence of the people in the political procedure, the political activation of the people produced the crisis of the representative parliamentarism. The sociopolitical changes lead at quick steps to the replacement of the pure representative system of aristocratic structure by a new form of governing, in which the presence of the people will be decisive through institutions of direct democracy. In the modern democracy the basic decisions will be taken by the people themselves and their representatives will function in the context of these decisions. The modern technology is able to ensure the permanent intervention of the people. 

4. In front of the multilateral crisis, that surrounds us, we considered it our duty not to remain apathetic and for this reason we found the Active Citizens Association. Our scientifically argued conviction is, that the political activation of the people constitutes the only way to the exit out of the crisis. The Active Citizens Association is a political Organisation on the institutions and it differs substantially from the political parties, which are political organisations aiming at the management of the power. Our objective  is not the undertaking of power but the fight for the institutions, the referendum, the direct participation and the rights of the citizens. The Association believes, that the political parties are essential for the function of the democratic regime. However, in order to carry out their work, they must be democratically organised, they must strengthen and not fight against the institutions of direct participation of the people to the exercise of the power. One of our basic organisational principles of the Active Citizens Association is the election of its bodies at fixed intervals, by following the principle of directness.  

  5. The general crisis is soundly reflected  in the crisis of ideology that characterizes our times. Traditional ideological models were doubted or even rejected. The historical course led to the removal from the absolutivity and the dogmatism. Many hastened to celebrate and to talk about the end of ideologies. In the strict sense it is a 'convergence of ideologies' away from labels and ideological doctrines, which proves that nothing is absolute and that the importance of the political process is much greater than what certain people thought. Our conviction is the deep and sincere faith in the democratic ideal. Our basic position is removed from the fruitless juxtaposition of ideological doctrines and is mainly 'procedural'. In the modern times of crisis of ideologies, the way of decision-making acquires once again particular importance. The democratically taken decision is the correct decision, is the one that can be successfully applied, precisely because it ensures the consent of the great majority of the people. The democratic process, is the one, that can and must be opposed to all kinds of doctrines and ideological opinions. The referendum and the other institutions of popular participation create political stability, which leads to economic stability and finally to economic development.

  6. By considering as given the intention of each Greek deputy to contribute to the formation of democratic institutions that are essential for the overshooting of the crisis, we call them to propose the revision of the relative provisions, so that institutions of direct participation of the people to the exercise of power are included in the new Constitution, such as: a) The referendum, constitutional and legislative, after proposal of the citizens b) the legislative initiative of the citizens c) the right of citizens veto.

- We call upon the political parties to include proposals referred to the establishment of democratic institutions of plebiscitarean character, so that the basic decision-making is ensured by the electorate itself. 

- We call upon the government to run an essential process of information of the Greek people, and the political parties and the mass media to strengthen the information on the subjects of the democratic institutions that are closely connected with the constitutional revision. We consider the up to today promotion of the revision process of the Constitution without the participation of the greek people as a mishandling and we warn that we will denounce as deliberate the continuation of this kind of process. 

- We call upon the Local Government Organisations, the professional clubs and the associations to go on with the organisation of referenda on the main subjects that preoccupy them and we promise every possible help.

- We declare, that we will do whatever is possible for us, for the establishment, the dissemination and exploitation of the democratic plebisciterean institutions in national, regional and local/professional level. 

- We address ourselves to all the Greek citizens and we call them to come into action, to set  initiative teams and to surround our movement for the constitution of a permanent and Pan-Hellenic organisation for the reformation and the creation of institutions of the people s direct prticipation to the exercise of power.  

                                                                          Athens, the 10th of March 1996