on 16 march 2012, spurred by the ongoing greek financial crisis, m-l kke and kke (m-l) announced that they would jointly contest elections as part of the popular resistance - left anti-imperialist cooperation (λαϊκή αντίσταση - αριστερή αντιμπεριαλιστική συνεργασία), distancing themselves both from the traditional communist party of greece (kke) and the leftist syriza coalition. kke(m-l) and mlkke contested the may 2012 legislative election under the slogan "down with the memorandum of enslavement- the people don't owe anyone anything" and fielded 186 candidates across the country.