If there’s one figure capable of uniting PASOK—even briefly, and even three decades after his death—it is Andreas Papandreou. Not only as the party’s founder, but also as the most influential political leader of Greece’s post-dictatorship era. That truth is well understood at the party’s headquarters on Charilaou Trikoupi Street.
Tomorrow, 23 June, marks exactly 30 years since Papandreou’s passing. In commemoration, PASOK is preparing both a political memorial and a major event—the following day, Wednesday—held in Kalentzi, Achaea: Papandreou’s birthplace and symbolic home. There, the party will honour its founder as the politician who gave concrete meaning to the concepts of ‘social justice’, ‘popular participation’, and ‘national dignity’. As stated in its official announcement, he remains an enduring source of inspiration for today’s generation.
The event will open with greetings from local authorities, followed by a tribute video featuring Papandreou’s own words—‘words that defined an era and became his legacy for future generations’. Former Prime Minister and Papandreou’s son, George Papandreou, and former Minister and close collaborator Costas Skandalidis, will deliver speeches. The event, moderated by Dimitris Chatzidimitriou, will conclude with the keynote address by PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis.
Beyond the commemoration, PASOK is making a deliberate effort to move past internal tensions—particularly the recent public rift between Anna Diamantopoulou and Haris Doukas—and avoid slipping back into another damaging intra-party conflict. Having paid a steep price for its last internal divide, the party is now focusing its energy elsewhere: first, on its action plan for the Attica basin, where its electoral support has historically lagged behind regional performance; and second, on a growing series of thematic events—resembling mini-campaigns—that culminate in policy proposals. These have already drawn positive attention to PASOK, such as its proposal for a four-day workweek or its initiative for free public transport for young people up to age 24 in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Following the youth-focused event in Drapetsona, PASOK plans two more thematic gatherings in early July—one on foreign policy and another targeting pensioners. Meanwhile, the party will intensify its focus on the cost-of-living crisis and practical responses to it, the Recovery Fund and how the government managed it, social housing and broader housing issues—including urban planning matters—and other related policy areas.