By Korina Georgiou

The battle of the vote is – among other things – also a timeless struggle of ingenuity and ingenuity in order to recruit political lures that will lead the voter to the ballot box in favor of one or the other party.

In a journey through time and the Athens of the 30s and 40s, the well-known Athens writer Thomas Sitaras reveals how the politicians of the time tried to win the favor of the voters just before the elections and what they did to attract them.

Starting from his book “Kalo voli”, rich in photographic material and anecdotal events of the time, he describes in and Korina Georgiou eutrapela of the pre-election period but also the atmosphere in the parliamentary and mayoral elections.

Lamb, loukumades, meatballs, wine, were some of the “gifts” of the candidates to the voters during the pre-election gatherings that were held at that time in taverns of the capital.

Also in the press they copied a type of political caricature that came from Europe, in which the imperfections, the particular characteristics of each politician were emphasized in the image, in order to attack the image of each candidate.

Corina

“One morning, he says, a florist went for a haircut. When he finished he asked for the bill. Then the barber said to him:

Thanks, but I won’t charge you for the haircut. You know, this week I’m offering a free neighborhood service…

The florist thanked for the kindness and left.

The other morning, when the barber went to open the shop, he saw a dozen roses at the door with a thank you note from the florist.

A little later, he says, a confectioner also went for a haircut. At the time of the bill, he was surprised to hear the barber explain to him:

– You know, this week I’m offering a free neighborhood service!

The other morning, when the barber went to open the shop, he saw a box of a dozen fresh sweets at the door with a thank you note from the confectioner.

A little later a deputy also arrived. After the haircut the scene was repeated. The deputy left very satisfied, thanking the barber…

That same afternoon, when the barber went to open his barber shop, he found a dozen MPs at the door waiting to get a haircut!

Every time my refugee grandmother from the City told me this little story – usually when we had an election – she ended with the exact same sentence:

“Politics and diapers need to be changed regularly, for exactly the same reason!”

Excerpt from the book by Thomas Sitaras