George Papandreou re-elected President of Socialist International

Attacked populism in his acceptance speech

Former Greek PM George Papandreou was voted in as the president of the Socialist International for a second term. Mr. Papandreou, who has largely been associated for inviting the IMF to Greece in 2010, was unanimously re-elected as the head of the movement during the body’s conference in Colombia. During his acceptance speech Mr. Papandreou touched on the modern challenges facing the world, including the rise of populism and nationalism around the globe. “Our priority is to gain and maintain power. Our priority is to use this power for the benefit of all”, he underlined. In a direct allusion to US President Donald Trump, Mr. Papandreou said that the socialists invested in humans and education to crate a better world, instead of building walls, producing weapons and taking unilateral decisions. He continued by saying that the populist powers were talking about regaining control, and by that they meant Brexit, isolationism and closed borders.