Greek Rally
Founded on 6 August 1951 by former field marshal Alexandros Papagos, the party encompassed a broad spectrum of the royalist conservative elements in Greek society and was modelled on the Charles de Gaulle's Rassemblement du Peuple Français (RPF).The popularity of Papagos, who had reinstated the autonomy of the Greek military during his tenure as its commander, enabled the party to quickly eclipse the Populists.In the September 1951 general election, the Greek Rally garnered 114 parliamentary seats (taking 36.5 per cent of the vote) compared to only two for the People's Party—thus firmly establishing itself as the major force of the right.In the subsequent November 1952 general election, the Greek Rally gained 240 out of 300 seats in the Greek Parliament, an achievement helped in no small way by a change in the electoral system.His successor, Karamanlis, relaunched the party as the National Radical Union.