Nikos Androulakis won the second round of PASOK’s internal party leadership elections on Sunday.
Based on the final results and 213,001 votes, Nikos Androulakis won with 60.16 percent while Haris Doukas got 39.84 percent.
“Today there are no winners and losers. The winner is PASOK. And from tomorrow, all together, united, we will lead our party even higher! Where it deserves to be, thanks to its history and offering. I have reiterated it many times during this pre-election period, I will say it again tonight: the difficult times are behind us! The best are ahead!” Androulakis underlined.
The leader of the Greek socialist party emphasized that “together we will move forward, without populism, with a serious and reliable programmatic discourse, with dynamism. And above all with political ethics, because for me politics does not begin where ethics ends. But they are identical.”
He expressed the certainty that PASOK and the democratic faction can succeed in defeating the ruling New Democracy. “It has a duty to give hope and perspective to Greek men and women, to the younger generations. Especially now that the false promises have collapsed, now that the eyes of more and more Greeks are turning to our party again.”
He spoke about the big changes that society needs while adding that “citizens are looking to us to overcome the current political impasse.”
Recognition of the victory of Nikos Androulakis by Haris Doukas
Haris Doukas congratulated Nikos Androulakis by phone, acknowledging his victory in the internal party elections for the leadership of PASOK – Movement for Change and expressing gratitude. Doukas emphasized that “we are all moving forward together.”
As of press time, with 97.2% of the votes counted, Androulakis leads with 59.92% in the second round of the elections for the new president of PASOK, while Doukas follows with 40,08% percent. In 777 polling stations, Androulakis received 125.820 votes compared to Doukas’ 84.149.
Polling for the second round of internal party elections closed at 7:30 p.m. local time. A half-hour extension was granted to facilitate voters. Final attendance was reported at 213.001 although participation decreased by approximately 26% compared to the previous Sunday.
Doukas’ commitment to PASOK’s principles and future governance
Haris Doukas thanked the friends and members of PASOK who supported his candidacy and congratulated Nikos Androulakis on his victory.
“We managed in three and a half months to make a clean and honest fight without compromise against extreme attacks and to create a strong political current. I will continue to fight for our principles and values, democracy, Justice, participation, transparency, accountability with unity, with everyone’s participation for a big, open, strong PASOK that can govern. I will always be here in front line”, said Haris Doukas.
Challenges and transformations in PASOK’s leadership and political landscape
The leadership election of PASOK was caused by a widespread view within the party expressed by several candidates who openly doubted the abilities of Androulakis to steer the party to first place.
Each candidate vowed that he or she was the only one who could beat Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The New Democracy President is seeing his administration losing points mainly due to inflation. The wildfires his Ministry of Civil Protection failed to contain, and the Tempi train wreck tragedy that left 57 dead.
PASOK is second in the opinion polls
PASOK, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, is currently second in the opinion polls, overtaking Syriza. However, it is still far behind the governing New Democracy (ND) party led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The Socialist party has greatly changed since its inception on September 3, 1974. PASOK is a former shadow of itself today. Under the leadership of Andreas Papandreou, it was the first Socialist party that governed Greece. Papandreou had gained the love of most Greeks.
By 2010, when Andreas Papandreou’s son, George Papandreou, was prime minister, Greece was wallowing in an economic crisis. In a snap election, PASOK lost, and two years later after political turmoil, a coalition New Democracy-PASOK government formed.
The two political arch-rivals since 1974 joined forces, an unprecedented event.