PASOK in Turmoil Over Androulakis’ Absence and One-Day Director’s Resignation

PASOK is in a state of tension following two controversial decisions over the weekend that have intensified internal frustrations.

The first was Nikos Androulakis’ absence from the funeral of Dionysis Savvopoulos—he was in Italy attending a basketball game. The second was the resignation of George Papavasileiou, who had briefly served as the party’s one-day director in Androulakis’ office and had been caught online praising initiatives of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Grigoris Dimitriadis. Both incidents have sparked anger among party executives, undermining efforts to foster unity ahead of the crucial party congress and upcoming elections.

Over the weekend, no PASOK official minced words, expressing strong disapproval of Charilaou Trikoupis—first for the “completely unjustified” absence of the party leader at Savvopoulos’ funeral, and second for appointing a key executive who had publicly praised government initiatives in the past.

PASOK MP Stefanos Parastatidis tried to downplay the issue, calling Papavasileiou’s appointment a “personal choice.” However, top officials privately criticized Charilaou Trikoupis fiercely, calling the moves “two mistakes in a row.”

Smells Like Gunpowder

The first meeting of the Political Secretariat for the upcoming Congress was scheduled for this week, but insiders now doubt it will proceed as planned. Even senior figures who had not openly opposed Papavasileiou’s appointment questioned what they see as “frivolous” and “contradictory” moves by the leadership at a critical moment for the party.

On one hand, Androulakis attacks the Mitsotakis government and rejects any possibility of post-election cooperation with ND. On the other, he brings in an executive who openly praised government officials. Moreover, while he emphasizes institutional integrity, he was absent from the farewell to Savvopoulos, described by Evangelos Venizelos as “the ark of post-independence Greek culture.” The claim that Androulakis was represented by Yiannis Vardakastanis, secretary of the CEC, failed to convince officials, who noted that other PASOK figures—including Anna Diamantopoulou, Kostas Laliotis, Charis Doukas, and Kostas Tsoukalas—attended on their own initiative.

The Papavasileiou Appointment

Questions have emerged about who influenced Papavasileiou’s appointment. Sources suggest Nikos Milis, First Vice-President of TEE and a member of PASOK’s Political Council, and Kostas Papadimitriou, coordinator of all PASOK networks within the Economic Chamber of Greece (OEE), played key roles. Both are trusted allies of Androulakis and part of the group that strongly supported his re-election.

Papavasileiou, a member of the Agia Paraskevi organization, resigned on Saturday afternoon after receiving a call from Androulakis and following online scrutiny over his past posts praising the Mitsotakis government. In his resignation statement, he emphasized his loyalty to PASOK since 1974 and clarified that his old comments did not reflect support for current government policies. He vowed to continue supporting PASOK’s mission for political change from any position offered to him.

Controversial Posts That Led to Resignation

In November 2020, Papavasileiou criticized university violence, praising Mitsotakis in the process. In April 2021, he praised Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and then-Secretary General of the Prime Minister, Grigoris Dimitriadis, for administrative reforms. These past posts were cited as problematic given the party’s opposition stance, prompting his resignation.