Shortly before the elections of 1892, Alexandros Papadiamantis writes about their spirit.

“The people about Manolis shouted with stifled laughter listening and if they advanced, so that they almost reached the first escort, its members listened to the detailed and important announcements of Lambros, and they stood and walked again. Then one of the five heard footsteps and turned and saw the second escort and pointed it out to those with him, but they did not hurry their step.

Lambros and two of his companions entered first the house of Permachogiannis, an old peasant, who had three elector sons, while the other two of the escort remained in the courtyard as a sentinel. From the other company, Manolis and two others went up to the house of Zygarakia, who had four sons and half a dozen nieces, all of them voters, and two from this company remained outside the door, crying.

Secondly, those about Lambron went up to the house of the couple Strofliotos, and those about Manolis entered the hut of Malliodimos the goatherd. Afterwards, other houses were visited, according to the same routine, two out of every hundred escorts always staying as queues outside the door or under the stone staircase. It was eight or ten that evening, as Manolis and Lambros, after these or other followers, did not stop visiting the houses of the villagers and seeking votes.

Everywhere they received and gave greasy assurances and promises, so satisfying that to those after Manolis, who had accompanied him many evenings on such excursions, but for the first time this year they saw an election, as he was a sailor and usually humble, he was said to be credulous, dear to their opposite party. so many roads;

– What’s wrong with their shoes! Now we have too many votes!”.

These are the words of Alexandros Papadiamantis (1851-1911) in 1892, in the last week of the elections in which Charilaos Trikoupis will win, while a year later Greece will declare bankruptcy.

The short story from which the quote comes is entitled “Oi Chalasochorides”, it is one of Papadiamantis’s greatest and is published in the newspaper “Akropolis” by Vlasis Gavrielidis.

Papadiamantis talks about the politicians, about the electoral habits, about the permanent weaknesses of the Greek state, but also about the hypermobilization of the local actors in the run-up to the election. The author often uses the word “corruption”, while in the action there are no protagonists nor positive or negative characters.

Papadiamantis simply wants to indicate phenomena and situations and it is the time when he is preparing to move from ethnography to a sharper and more critical and social look. If there are any protagonists in his short story, they are the people who vote and the people who are voted for. Both are doing everything in their power to benefit from the elections. Place, of course, is the birthplace of Papadiamantis, the island of Skiathos.

Papadiamantis continues:

“Unfortunate Splenogiannis could not remember ever being in a more difficult position. He was facing three enemies, the most formidable of which was certainly his wife. Individuals, if he had met them, he was capable of lying, the only weapon left to the villagers, as they compete against so many political or social and life pressures and persecutions (weapon, which is sharpened during the week in the criminal courts and the magistrates’ courts, where the villager becomes a proper Vlach lawyer) to deal with them, confronting all three of them face-to-face, pacing both parties behind their backs and swearing to himself to contemptuously blacken the ballot boxes of the self-appointed representatives of the unfortunate people, so afflicted and tyrannized.

But while the presence of Lampros of Vatoulas already rendered his only weapon powerless, an attack by Manolis of Polychronos was added as an epimeter, who would tell them that he had come on purpose to attend a strange family comedy for free.

He had no other refuge or to ask for a short truce;

– Let it be, he said, we’ll see; today Tuesday, until Sunday when the elections will be held, God will enlighten us what to do…

– No! No! exclaimed the woman laughing inaudibly, it seems that she also means the comedian of the position. No! No!

And noisily stamped the right fist on the palm of the left.

– No! Have your say now! You decide what to do. You don’t have people like your live ones, coming and coming back a thousand times.”

“Halasochorides” heralds certain literary success with Gavrielidis predicting from the columns of his newspaper: “The “Halasochorides” will occupy the first place in the intellectual production of the author, for the psychological imposition and the ethological meaning of… Types and morals and ideas are faithfully captured…But not only the Halassohorides are of the highest importance. And from a moral point of view they will be imposed on the readers. Mr. Papadiamantis is not a simple short story writer, he is a spiritual and moral worker, a fighter for progress” and “justice”.

And this is how Papadiamantis closes his short story:

“The announcement of each of the results was received outside by the people with cheers, with cheers and tumults of cheerful people.

At this moment Lambros Vatoulas hastened to telegraph to Giannakon the Hartularian many congratulations and much praise for himself, because although he served him alone, for the first time exposed as a candidate, although he was fiercely fought by two powerful parties, he managed to defeat him give him so many votes.

After a short time, the general result of the province was telegraphed and many tins were angry as usual at the expense of the unsuccessful Kapsimaidos, Avaridos and Hartoulari.

Mr. Gerontiadis and Mr. Alikiadis were fortunately elected deputies of the province with 1239 votes and Mr. Alikiadis with 1158 votes against 1644 voters in the four municipalities.

And so double came profit. Firstly, the world calmed down in time and secondly, the stage of the two aforementioned statesmen was not closed, who were destined to continue their distinguished services for a period of time, one for the general interests of the nation, the other for the public works of the province”.