Alarm bells are ringing at PASOK’s headquarters on Charilaou Trikoupi Street, as party officials watch with growing concern a string of high-profile departures toward the Greek Left Alliance (ELAS) led by Alexis Tsipras. Senior party strategists warn that the ongoing exodus of political figures is creating a damaging climate that is expected to be reflected in upcoming opinion polls.
Read more: New defection to ELAS from PASOK: Epirus regional councillor resigns and joins Tsipras’ party
Which PASOK figures have crossed over to ELAS
Antonis Saoulidis, who ran as a PASOK parliamentary candidate in Thessaloniki A’ in 2023, was among the first significant figures to move to Tsipras’ movement. He now serves as Deputy Shadow Minister for Citizen Protection in ELAS’s shadow cabinet.
Marizeta Antonopoulou, a former PASOK candidate in the 2024 European Parliament elections, has taken on the role of Shadow Minister for Social Policy in Alexis Tsipras’ party. Meanwhile, Giorgos Boulmpasákos, a former member of PASOK’s Central Committee and head of its Health Policy sector, has been appointed Deputy Shadow Health Minister within ELAS.
Also on the list of departures is Anastasis Zanias, who has taken on the role of Shadow Sports Minister. Particularly noteworthy is the case of Argyris Bedeniotis. The son of former minister and long-serving PASOK MP for Piraeus A’, Manolis Bedeniotis, has joined the shadow cabinet as Deputy Shadow Minister for Trade and Development. According to sources, he is being considered as a future parliamentary candidate in the same constituency — an area where PASOK has historically underperformed.
The latest departure from Epirus
On Thursday, June 25, the resignation of Haris Liouris was announced — an Epirus regional councillor who is leaving PASOK to join the Greek Left Alliance. Liouris formally submitted his resignation, and his membership in ELAS is expected to be ratified on Saturday, June 27, during the party’s National Council meeting in Athens, where he will participate as a full member. Liouris was elected as a regional councillor for Epirus on a ticket backed by PASOK in the 2023 elections and remains in office. For several years, he served as president of the General Agricultural Cooperative of Ioannina, a position he stepped down from following the most recent elections.
Growing unease within the party
Inside PASOK, there is deep unease about the direction of events. MPs and senior party figures are openly voicing concerns about the leadership’s apparent lack of a clear and effective strategy to stem the tide — particularly when it comes to proactively engaging members who are reportedly being targeted by Tsipras’ inner circle. In private conversations, the prevailing view is that the coming months will prove decisive in shaping the broader political landscape.
