ABSTRACT
Constantin Mitsotakis, Greece's new prime minister, survived his first vote of confidence in the Parliament (the 300 member Vouli) on April 26, 1990 using the razor-thin majority he and his New Democracy Party gained in April 8th elections. Notwithstanding Papandreou's vigorous denials, the scandal, and revelations that he had ordered illegal phone taps against political opponents, contributed to a precipitous decline in his personal popularity. Debates about where Greece's economic quagmire began-in 1970s growth based on foreign borrowing not exports, or in 1980s emphasis on state-owned, unproductive enterprises and social welfare, or externally, in the world market and Greece's peripheral role in it-may be moot. Nevertheless, official membership in both political and military arms of the alliance was renewed and maintained under Papandreou. Mitsotakis' unstable majority, significant economic difficulties and disturbing international signs all cloud Athens' immediate political future.
