Former PASOK prime minister George Papandreou and current PASOK chief and Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Affairs Minister Evangelos Venizelos attended an event marking the socialist party’s 40th anniversary. The photo exhibition being organized by the Andreas G. Papandreou Foundation at Zappeion Hall is part of the celebrations showcasing the party’s development due to culminate with a conference on Wednesday, September 3.

PASOK party supporters who gathered at the inauguration of the photo exhition – titled “From Rigidity to Change” –  showed an unprecedented display of contempt against the party’s current leader when he took the podium. They shouted slogans, such as “PASOK is here, strong and united”, “PASOK is here, with George as its leader”, “George, Let the Right Leave!” The atmosphere was negatively charged and Venizelos had difficulty completing his speech.

Venizelos kept his calm and tried to respond to rallying cries that criticized his collaboration with the conservative New Democracy government coalition. “We will speak on Wednesday about the PASOK’s post-regime (metapolitefsi*) days, about what happened and how we have come to this point and where we should go. We will talk honestly, as circumstances demand,” he said, adding that at the upcoming event on Wednesday, he would give answers about how the socialist party has come to collaborate with New Democracy and the radical right-wing populist LAOS party led by journalist Georgios Karatzaferis. At that moment, the jeering rose above the level of his voice with a number of people present shouting “Traitor!”

During his speech, Papandreou was critical of the government. He said that citizens are demanding a new start and he also expressed his desire to open dialogue with citizens afresh. He was critical of the party’s “cannonball-styled mutations that only serve to confuse citizens and breed mistrust”.

Present at the event were former parliamentary speaker Filippos Petsalnikos and former finance minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou who is currently standing trial for Lagarde list charges. Both these men were cheered by the crowds.

Former PASOK leader G. Papandreou was warmly welcomed at the event

* metapolitefsi – a period in Greek history after the fall of the Greek military junta of 1967-74 that includes the transitional period from the fall of the dictatorship to the Greek legislative elections of 1974 and the democratic period immediately after these elections.