A new chapter opened today for PASOK, with most of its members attending the crucial Central Committee meeting, convinced that their proposal for an immediate leadership election this fall will finally be accepted by Nikos Androulakis.
Initially, Mr. Androulakis reacted by suggesting elections towards the end of 2025. However, the collective pressure during the recent meeting of the Political Council and the parliamentary group seems to have led PASOK’s HQ at Harilaou Trikoupi to reconsider and accept the request for immediate recourse to the base. Members of Harilaou Trikoupi emphasize that Mr. Androulakis, in his speech, will advocate for “clear solutions,” believing that no more valuable time should be wasted— “he cannot lead the party into a prolonged pre-election period and continuous internal turbulence,” a senior official notes, adding that Nikos Androulakis now has a clear picture of the prevailing climate, especially after the stormy session ten days ago, where MPs and members demanded a restart, here and now.
It is evident that today’s leadership acknowledges the need for a restart, meaning that Mr. Androulakis must explain at the outset of the internal pre-election period why the declared goal of second place was missed and why he appeared satisfied on election night by focusing on the “greening” of two regions in Crete. “I think that if we continue with this nationwide percentage increase, we will become the government around 2050,” is the phrase by Charis Doukas that responds to the concern and anxiety of many members about the “next day,” and is expected to be the “title” of speeches from the leadership’s critics during today’s decisive meeting. Mr. Doukas, in his speech, will declare his presence, describe his vision for the great democratic party, emphasize that the open call to all progressive forces means that PASOK/KINAL will be its backbone, and attempt to convince that his goal is the party’s victory in the upcoming national elections against Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s New Democracy. He believes that his electoral victory last October in Athens can be the beginning of a new victorious path for the Movement and that PASOK, with a change of page, can follow the path to governmental prospects.
Amid rapid developments following the loss of the second position in the recent European elections, both Mr. Doukas and Pavlos Geroulanos intend to speak frankly. The Mayor of Athens has already, in effect, revealed his intentions—Mr. Geroulanos has left the date for the official announcement of his candidacy open. Other members rumored to also contest the leadership, such as Michalis Katrinis, Milena Apostolaki, Nadia Giannakopoulou, and others, will take the floor to outline the framework for building, in their view, a “victorious” PASOK/KINAL.
Two days ago—until early this morning—members of every faction, both the presidential and others, engaged in intensive discussions about developments and their stance for today’s meeting. Mr. Androulakis sought to gauge the sentiment by speaking with some regional MPs on Friday morning, and in the afternoon, he began calling members of the Central Committee. Andreas Spyropoulos, although considered one of the “dissenters” and outgoing party Secretary after failing to get elected as a MEP, did the same. Members of the faction note fractures within the Androulakis bloc. However, the open invitation from Harilaou Trikoupi for non-elected Central Committee members to listen closely to Androulakis’s speech is said to be a strategic move by the leadership to bolster the presidential bloc.
On the other hand, Charis Doukas has shown intense activity over the past few days, continuously meeting with people, MPs, and members, forming new alliances. He confided to an associate that from the day after today’s Central Committee meeting, he will try to expand his team, bringing in more capable members for the morning briefings to quickly and effectively drive the pre-election campaign. So far, Doukas has been having morning coffees in Kotzia Square with his primary communications associate, Andrianna Maggana, and experienced journalist Pikia Galati, who are managing his public image and messaging.
In the “headquarters,” the highly experienced Christos Protopapas is adding steps and contacts to the strategic plan, adjusting the pace of Doukas’s moves as needed. The close team includes Kostas Pandis (from the Renewing Left and a member of PASOK’s Central Committee), Lazaros Karaoulis (a 2023 parliamentary candidate from Androulakis’s camp), while Manolis Christodoulakis, who chose to support the Mayor instead of running himself at this stage, maintains an open line with Charis Doukas. Odysseas Konstantinopoulos, who initiated the call for immediate elections with his letter to Harilaou Trikoupi, top officials Kostas Skandalidis and Petros Efthymiou, MP Apostolos Panas, Theodoros Margaritis (who keeps open channels with other progressive forces), former MP and Political Council member Tonia Antoniou, and others like Anna Papadopoulou (PASOK Sector Head), Marizetta Antonopoulou (European Parliament candidate), and Anastasia Simitropoulou (former Deputy Spokesperson at PASOK) are part of the team. Regional members have joined the fight for Doukas’s victory, while key supporters from previous campaigns of Manolis Christodoulakis, such as Grigoris Katsilas, are setting the tone for the pre-election offensive.
