PASOK: Androulakis Effort to Address Issues After Konstantinopoulos’ New Intervention

Calm is hard to find as new problems arise daily for the leader of the official opposition. This time, the issue is named Odyseas Konstantinopoulos, who in the last 24 hours has criticized the overall political direction of his party. ‘We must find a way to revive as a party. It requires significant effort starting from the leadership. We need to utilize all resources and people. Immediate corrective actions are necessary on multiple levels—strategy, policies, communication, and personnel. I cannot hide that I believe the political center has not achieved its goals. Since it was elected and began meeting, PASOK has lost 10 percentage points. This body meets weekly and makes critical decisions. Whether all factions are included in the political center doesn’t mean much. We don’t create bodies just to include our friends. We put those who can truly contribute,’ he stated in an interview with Action 24. Hours later, PASOK MP and key party figure Harilaou Trikoupis reiterated that he would continue voicing his opinions without fear of expulsion, clarifying that ‘the issue of leadership does not arise at this moment.’ However, he emphasized that ‘we should not be naive.’ ‘If we are fighting for second place, we haven’t been given such a mandate. In the last elections, candidates were tasked to become the leading party,’ he added. Regarding differing views within the party, he noted that ‘PASOK grew when leadership could embrace all elements, listen to all opinions, and avoid exclusions. Different opinions and audiences exist… Undermining is a fabrication used by leaders to justify themselves. The path to victory involves leadership embracing all elements and opinions. A great PASOK accommodates many views. This threat of “speak and you will be expelled” does not concern me. I will not stop expressing my opinion out of fear of expulsion,’ he said. These statements by Odyseas Konstantinopoulos did not go unnoticed by Harilaou Trikoupis. However, the party president has decided not to open another debate at this time, as it leaves a somber impression. Colleagues of the president mention they weren’t surprised by the criticism from the Arkadia MP since similar views—perhaps expressed differently—had already been voiced internally by Konstantinopoulos. Nonetheless, Harilaou Trikoupis’ team does not wish to engage in discussions that might bring internal conflicts back to PASOK or within the parliamentary group. As they emphasize, what matters now is presenting serious counterarguments to government announcements with evidence, proving to the public that the government attempts to sell minimal benefits as social interventions. They also highlight that, as demonstrated, PASOK’s recent housing proposal presented by Leuteries Karchimakis was moving in the right direction, despite some internal criticism.