In a sharp political intervention, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis pushed back against what he called orchestrated disinformation and toxic rhetoric—targeting both Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras.
A Response Rooted in Substance
PASOK insists it will not abandon its role as a responsible opposition—even amid election season. Rather than resort to empty attacks, the party continues to present concrete, costed policy proposals, including its recently unveiled energy plan presented at a press conference on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. Yet it also refuses to let false or misleading claims go unchallenged—especially those it deems outright fake news or insulting to public intelligence.
Calling Out ‘Toxicity’ and Disinformation
Androulakis directly responded to Mitsotakis’ recent remarks in Parliament accusing PASOK of ‘toxicity’. Calling the accusation ‘pure opportunism and an insult to citizens’ intelligence’, he accused New Democracy (ND) of running a coordinated online propaganda machine—akin to practices previously associated with SYRIZA and ANEL—to smear political opponents and distort facts.
He cited specific examples: PASOK’s repeated submission—24 times—of a bill to classify nurses as workers in heavy and hazardous conditions, only for ND to reject it each time—yet later claim PASOK opposed the measure after the government finally adopted it. He also referenced revelations about state-funded propaganda networks, some of whose members were once private contractors but are now organic ND members operating from the Maximos Mansion.
Costs, Promises, and Broken Commitments
Androulakis highlighted contradictions in ND’s messaging—such as Mitsotakis presenting the 13th pension payment as an uncosted PASOK initiative, despite the fact that PASOK’s Charilaou Trikoupis had already introduced and costed the same measure just one day earlier, in two distinct parliamentary phases.
He further criticized the prime minister for pledging, during his pre-election campaign, to abolish the Katrougalos Law without ever revealing its financial impact—a cost reportedly many times higher than PASOK’s own pension reform proposals. Similarly, he noted that ND never disclosed the fiscal implications of its promised ‘horizontal VAT cut’—accusing Mitsotakis of campaigning on ‘uncosted rabbits and boulders’ that were never implemented.
From Division to Blame-Shifting
Androulakis argued that Mitsotakis learned the politics of division and toxicity in alliance with certain forces—and is now unfairly lumping all opposition together. Still, he made clear PASOK’s stance stands apart—not only from ND, but also from SYRIZA. His critique extended explicitly to Alexis Tsipras, underscoring a growing rift within the opposition landscape.