The statement made by Anna Diamantopoulou — that “our public finances are in good shape and our country’s reception abroad is very positive” — was interpreted by many as a show of support for the ruling government. The remark has not only triggered a sharp internal confrontation within PASOK involving Haris Doukas, but also provoked a fierce response from Alexis Tsipras’s ELAS party.
Anna Diamantopoulou: Why Tsipras’s party sees a “Trojan horse” inside PASOK
The reason members of ELAS were alarmed is that they interpreted Diamantopoulou’s move as a harbinger of further developments. Officials within the Greek Left Alliance are closely monitoring the situation inside PASOK, as they believe a “Trojan horse” exists within the main opposition party — one capable of playing a decisive role in post-election political maneuvering. Specifically, they believe that Anna Diamantopoulou, despite the PASOK congress’s resolution that under no circumstances would the party cooperate post-election with the ruling New Democracy party, could at a critical moment use her influence to steer events in the governing party’s favor.
ELAS’s response to Anna Diamantopoulou
On Thursday, ELAS seized on Diamantopoulou’s statement and fired back, arguing that “Greece’s GDP per capita is only comparable to Bulgaria’s” and stressing that “1 in 5 Greeks lives below the poverty line,” adding that “the facts disagree with Mrs. Diamantopoulou.” In its official statement, ELAS emphasized that the data proves neither the economic figures nor — more importantly — the Greek people are thriving. “GDP per capita is only comparable to Bulgaria’s (68% of the EU average),” the party noted, adding that “the average annual full-time salary stands at 45% of the EU average,” while “1 in 5 Greeks lives below the poverty line.” Furthermore, ELAS pointed out that “Greece has become a permanent fixture at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (OPEKEPE, wiretapping scandal, Tempi rail disaster).”
It is worth noting that no reference was made to PASOK or its leader Nikos Androulakis, as ELAS officials were clearly intent on drawing a distinction between Anna Diamantopoulou and the main opposition party as a whole.
What PASOK insiders really think about Haris Doukas
Meanwhile, sources from PASOK headquarters at Harilaou Trikoupi suggest that Athens Mayor Haris Doukas’s persistence on the issue of coalition partnerships serves one purpose only: to engineer his own dramatic exit from the party. The prevailing view inside PASOK is that Doukas, well aware that such topics are a red line for a significant faction within the party, continues to raise them deliberately — stoking tensions in what appears to be a calculated effort to get pushed out of PASOK and open the door to Alexis Tsipras’s party.
