During the parliamentary debate on constitutional revision, PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis launched a sharp critique of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In his rebuttal, Androulakis responded directly to Mitsotakis’s claim that PASOK had assumed the role of official opposition “out of the blue,” stressing instead that PASOK had done so without staging any political diversions.
‘The Same Person Who…’
“PASOK assumed the position of official opposition without orchestrating any distractions,” Androulakis said. “Mr. Mitsotakis remains Prime Minister — having orchestrated numerous distractions both in Parliament and in the constitutional process.”
He cited specific examples: the 2022 decision to establish a parliamentary investigative committee on wiretapping with 151 votes — now reduced to just 120; and the controversial use of postal voting to ensure party discipline during a key vote on judicial oversight of former ministers Giorgos Vouridis and Nikos Dendias — an effort, he claimed, aimed at preventing MPs from breaking ranks.
“So here we are — in the spotlight. What we say is public. We don’t play backstage games, nor do we play games with vested interests,” Androulakis added, referencing ongoing questions about so-called ‘golden’ properties linked to senior New Democracy figures — a matter he said continues to weigh heavily on Mitsotakis.
Questions of Responsibility and Consistency
Addressing Mitsotakis’s emphasis on responsibility and patriotism, Androulakis recalled PASOK’s stewardship of Greece during the 2009 debt crisis. “This coalition took over a bankrupt Greece in 2009. Had PASOK MPs followed your path, the country would be back on the drachma. So who exactly stands for the nation in difficult times? Not you — no, not you. Enough, Mr. Mitsotakis.”
He challenged the Prime Minister’s credibility on constitutional reform, pointing to Mitsotakis’s 2019 co-signature — alongside then-President Prokopis Pavlopoulos — of Proposal 110, which called for constitutional revision. “You signed it then. Now you reject it. Who is consistent? The one who signed — right there, your signature — and now says ‘we won’t revise it’?”
Androulakis also questioned the government’s broader approach to governance, arguing that sustainable and fair economic growth depends on strong institutions — and that institutional respect begins with political example. “Is your conduct such an example? Are you that kind of person?”