In an analysis of the winners, losers, and the “communication sponsor” in the first round of elections for the new president of PASOK, Aris Spiliotopoulos highlighted two winners: Pavlos Geroulanos and Kostas Bakoyannis. He noted that Geroulanos narrowly missed advancing to the second round but succeeded in gaining political acceptance and respect from both allies and opponents.

Bakoyannis, meanwhile, saw his path to a potential return to the municipality wide open, even if he hadn’t initially aimed for it. The major loser, Haris Doukas, faced rejection in his municipality and across Attica, managing to reach the second round primarily due to support from provincial voters, where the myth of the victorious leader of the largest municipality still prevails, overshadowing Bakoyannis’s defeat. Spiliotopoulos pointed to the internal strife within SYRIZA as the “communication sponsor,” noting that it has reached the point of demanding the expulsion of Kasselakis, ultimately undermining the narrative that “PASOK is here and returning strong.”