Just a few hours after his expulsion from the PASOK parliamentary group by decision of Nikos Androulakis, Odysseas Konstantinopoulos decided to resign as an MP and return the seat to the party.

He announced this decision shortly ago through an SMS sent to the PASOK parliamentary group’s group chat, addressed to party president Nikos Androulakis, surprising him as well as all the MPs.

In his message, Konstantinopoulos states that he is resigning and returning the seat to PASOK, maintaining a consistent stance in line with his belief that MPs serve the people and the political party with which they were elected.

“Throughout my entire term, I had my own positions and opinions, but I always aligned with the majority of my party,” he writes pointedly.

It is recalled that Konstantinopoulos has been elected as an MP for Arcadia continuously since 2009 and has never voted against a PASOK bill or proposal.

Finally, he says he will ask the Speaker of Parliament, Nikitas Kaklamanis, to allow him to make his final speech on the day the new Vice-President of Parliament from PASOK is elected, whom he says he will vote for.

It is noted that this is essentially a pre-announcement of resignation, as Konstantinopoulos will step down immediately after the election of the new Vice-President of Parliament, which will take place next week.

The first runner-up candidate in Arcadia is Evangelos Giannakouras.

Konstantinopoulos’ message to Androulakis

“Mr. President,

After yesterday’s decision, I considered it necessary to first inform you and the Parliamentary Group of my decision to return my parliamentary seat to the party with which I have been elected since 2009 in Arcadia, and immediately afterwards to inform the Speaker of Parliament. It is my deep conviction, as you know well, that MPs serve the people and the political party with which they were elected.

Throughout my term, I had my own positions and opinions, but I always aligned with the majority of my party.

I believe that political parties are pillars of democracy, and this depends on our actions, our credibility, and the consistency between our words and our deeds. I will ask the Speaker of Parliament to allow me to make my final speech on the day the new Vice-President from PASOK is elected, whom I will vote for.

Best wishes for strength in your work.”

The beginning of the Konstantinopoulos–Androulakis dispute

Senior party officials who spoke yesterday to protothema.gr said they were completely surprised by the development.

They did know, however, that relations between Androulakis and Konstantinopoulos had been broken for a long time. Although the Arcadia MP had been one of Nikos Androulakis’ closest associates and helped in his election as PASOK leader, the two men soon fell out.

One of the triggers, according to insiders, was that in the previous elections the PASOK leader included as a co-candidate in Arcadia the doctor and regional councilor from Petros Tatoulis’ political camp, Vangelis Giannakouras. Konstantinopoulos reportedly saw this as a “casus belli.” Despite his objections, Androulakis eventually announced the party lists months later including Giannakouras.

Konstantinopoulos chose to respond at the ballot box—and succeeded: he was re-elected as MP for Arcadia while his rival failed to win a seat. Since then, their relations became hostile, while Konstantinopoulos supported Haris Doukas in the party’s internal leadership elections.

How PASOK’s top figures may react

At times he had criticized the leadership carefully, but no one expected this move. The question now is how the party’s senior figures will react.

According to protothema.gr, Anna Diamantopoulou does not intend to make a public comment for now, while Haris Doukas and Pavlos Geroulanos are considering the timing of their response.

“Androulakis is seeking confrontation in order to rally his supporters and perhaps looking for a pretext to get rid of inconvenient voices,” said an experienced party member who supported Doukas in the elections, adding: “You choose the field where you fight the battle—you don’t fight it where your opponent wants.”