Fallen Leader

In the two years since he succeeded the late great Field Marshal Alexander Papagos as Premier of Greece, ruggedly handsome Constantine Karamanlis, 50, had infused the Greek government with a new spirit. Son of a Macedonian schoolteacher, Karamanlis still bore traces of the simple manners of the north, displayed an honesty and a vigor alien to the wealthy Athenians who generally dominate Greek politics. Under his driving leadership, the gross national product jumped 9% during 1956-57, and the Greek farmer prospered as never before.

But Karamanlis had the defects of his qualities. Impatient of inefficiency, he greeted opposition from his ministers with bursts of rage. Between his overriding self-confidence and his partial deafness, the Cabinet found it hard to argue back.

Two weeks ago, after prolonged secret negotiations with the leaders of the chief opposition parties. Karamanlis proposed a new electoral law that would reduce the number of Deputies in the Greek Chamber from 300 to 250, modify the unwieldy proportional-representation provisions of the existing law. Deputies from small parties and even some members of Karamanlis' own National Radical Union protested that the proposed law threatened them with political extinction. But Karamanlis, allowing his Cabinet only a glance at the bill, submitted it to Parliament.

Last week, led by two disaffected members of the Karamanlis Cabinet, 15 Deputies resigned from the National Radical Union, thereby cut the party's strength from 164 to 149 seats. Deprived of his majority, Constantine Karamanlis headed out to the royal residence at Dekeleia, handed King Paul his resignation and, along with it. a recommendation for parliamentary dissolution and new elections. After five years of steady leadership provided by Papagos and Karamanlis. Greece seemed headed back into its old slough of political instability.

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