Charilaou Trikoupi is on high alert, with PASOK officials insisting at every opportunity that only bold political initiatives can shift the public spotlight away from Tsipras and back onto their own field.
The danger of remaining stuck in “stagnant percentages,” or even losing ground ahead of the polls, is now worrying even the party’s optimists. Pavlos Geroulanos’ recent remarks about the “silent needle” served as a reminder to MPs and party executives of the need for functional party organs — a fundamental condition for collective decision-making and coordinated action.
The debate over holding a party in Congress, however, has been stalled for months. In recent days, though, reports suggest that the composition of the core group of the Central Organising Committee, along with the Enlargement Commission and other key committees, will soon be announced.
Recent interventions by Pavlos Geroulanos, Charis Doukas, and Anna Diamantopoulou made one message clear: PASOK must move forward decisively. All three agree on one point — that the Congress should have been held yesterday, and that strong political events are needed to re-energize the party’s base and capture public attention.
For the Central Congress Organising Committee (CEC), it is said that the five leadership contenders — Charis Doukas, Pavlos Geroulanos, Michalis Katrinis, Anna Diamantopoulou, and Nadia Giannakopoulou — will be joined by the party’s two parliamentary representatives (Pavlos Christidis and Dimitris Mantzos), its two Secretaries (Andreas Spyropoulos and Giannis Vardakastanis), the Secretary of the Parliamentary Group (Dimitris Biankis), Press Spokesman Kostas Tsoukalas, MP Rania Thraskia, former Minister Stavros Benos, and several others.
Herakles Drooulias will oversee the Organising Sector, Lefteris Karchimakis will head the Programme Team responsible for drafting the Congress Policy Package, Dimitris Katsikaris is expected to play a role in Communications, and former MP Dimitris Konstantopoulos remains in charge of Self-Organisation. PASOK founding member Kostas Skandalidis is likely to lead the Enlargement Committee, which, together with the Ballot Committee, will coordinate outreach efforts ahead of the elections.
The return of Alexis Tsipras and reports of a potential new party launch in early 2026 have created new urgency within PASOK. After months of downplaying the issue and delaying joint actions, Charilaou Trikoupis is now searching for the right moves to reassert its presence in the shifting centre-left landscape.
Geroulanos had previously warned that “the needle must move within the next two months,” implying action before Christmas. Yet Tsipras’ resignation from parliament has accelerated developments, forcing PASOK to respond as if already fully prepared — politically, organisationally, and programmatically.
According to PASOK officials, “New Democracy is trying to create political bogeymen to maintain its electoral dominance, even as society turns its back on it.” The same officials insist that PASOK’s strategy remains unchanged — their main opponent is still New Democracy.
“We don’t know if a potential Tsipras party will actually be formed, who it will target, or what structure and personnel it will have,” they note. “Tsipras has already been judged by the Greek people — both as prime minister and as leader of the opposition. The future cannot come from the past. Greece must not lose another opportunity under a third Mitsotakis term.”
As the party seeks to craft a convincing narrative ahead of the elections, PASOK now faces a dual challenge — confronting New Democracy’s dominance, while also preparing for the possible reshuffling of the centre-left deck should Tsipras re-enter the political arena.
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