Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou of Greece has received legislative approval for constitutional changes that transfer the powers of the presidency to himself and the leftwingers who dominate his parliament.
Before the shift can be carried out, a second vote is required after elections in June. Approval then will be a clear sign that Mr. Papandreou is crossing a political divide--turning Greece into the anti-Western leftist state he spoke about when campaigning for office in 1981.
His apologists suggest that Mr. Papandreou is skillfully walking a tightrope between his own pro-Western leaning--developed as a U.S. citizen and a World War II GI--and the Marxist wing of his Socialist Party. But his crafty moves to eliminate political opposition are Marxist scripture.
His first step toward usurping the power of the presidency was to force the resignation of President Constantine Karamanlis, a respected leader whose presence as head of state seemed a guarantee against left-wing extremism. Mr. Papandreou`s hand-picked replacement, Christos Sartzetakis, then dissolved parliament and called new elections. That is a necessary step toward concentrating power in the premier`s hands, because such constitutional changes must be approved by two successive parliaments.
It was worrisome enough when Mr. Papandreou merely heaped praises on the Soviet oligarchy. Now he is starting to imitate it.