And suddenly…PASOK is tearing itself apart over coalition strategy. Anna Diamantopoulou launched a strong attack against Athens Mayor Haris Doukas over the issue of potential alliances, prompting an equally sharp response from the mayor.

Ms Diamantopoulou, speaking on Open, was highly critical of the mayor’s suggestion of pre-election cooperation with Alexis Tsipras’ party, calling it “a recipe for opening doors and windows for voters to leave.”

“This issue of whether we are discussing it now with one side or the other is a recipe for a party to open doors and windows and lose voters. Right? Frankly, I cannot imagine a more ridiculous approach,” she said.

The former European Commissioner also stressed that PASOK does not want to hand centrist voters over to New Democracy, while clarifying that any discussion on governing coalitions would depend on the mandate given by voters at the ballot box.

Haris Doukas’ Sharp Response

Haris Doukas responded shortly afterwards. In a social media post, the Athens mayor accused Ms Diamantopoulou of positions that, as he argued, do not represent PASOK.

“The positions expressed today by Ms Diamantopoulou, in which she praises the ND government for its fiscal performance and the country’s image abroad, do not represent PASOK voters. After these statements, it does not surprise me that she finds dialogue within the progressive space ‘ridiculous’,” he said.