The center-left political scene is at a critical juncture as moves by Nikos Androulakis and Alexis Tsipras are reshaping the electoral landscape. Party officials are watching with interest the impact their recent presentations in Thessaloniki will have on polling figures.
PASOK president Nikos Androulakis presented his governmental program while calling for early elections, while former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras delivered his political manifesto at the Economist and powergame.gr conference. Initial polling indicators don’t provide a clear picture of the effectiveness of the new strategies. There’s a limited rise for PASOK of half a percentage point, while figures for Alexis Tsipras remain stable compared to last June. More time is likely needed for the electorate to absorb the new proposals.
Aggressive strategy from Nikos Androulakis
Nikos Androulakis is preparing an intensive program to promote the governmental plan he presented at Vellidio. The strategy includes an extensive tour across the country aimed at direct contact with citizens. According to information from Charilaou Trikoupi street, press conferences will be organized in every prefecture of the country for detailed presentation of the program. All party MPs will take an active role in the effort to convince citizens that PASOK is ready for governmental responsibility.
The party congress is scheduled for late November with a celebratory character, marking the starting signal of the pre-election campaign. If time constraints don’t allow, the organization will be postponed to February.
Mapping electoral constituencies and candidacies
At Charilaou Trikoupi, they’re proceeding with systematic mapping of all prefectures for ballot staffing. Particular attention is given to regions where PASOK had no representation in previous years but now there are increased expectations for positive results.
Pending issues with the placement of central officials are gradually being resolved:
- Secretary Andreas Spyropoulos will be a candidate in Preveza
• Press spokesperson Kostas Tsoukalas is expected to join the State ballot
• Panagiotis Doudonis will compete for a seat in Lesvos
• Christos Kaklamanis will be a candidate in the Southern Sector
• Lefteris Karchimakis will compete in the Western Sector
For Anna Diamantopoulou, the decision hasn’t been finalized between regional candidacy or honorary ballot. Internal party measurements show she can be elected easily in any region.
Alexis Tsipras’s moves
From Alexis Tsipras’s staff, they communicate that there’s no modification to the original plan. Priority is completing his book from Gutenberg publications, expected to be released in mid-November. Meanwhile, his associates are proceeding with selecting people for his foundation’s scientific council. These individuals won’t simply function as political think tank members, but will actively contribute to staffing the new venture. From Amalias street, they hint that the choices will reflect Alexis Tsipras’s new orientations, showing he has acquired new interlocutors with reformist and technocratic profiles.
Relations with SYRIZA and new party
The most complex issue remains relations with SYRIZA. There are no communication bridges with Famellos, while a definitive break is expected when Tsipras announces his resignation as MP in the coming weeks. This development makes it difficult for MPs ready to follow him, such as Olga Gerovasili, Katerina Notopoulou, Giorgos Karameros and others. They’ve received the message that initially active MPs won’t join the new party, something that will happen close to national elections.
Regarding the timeline for party establishment, information insists it won’t exceed March. At Amalias, they noted Mitsotakis’s comment in a recent interview about the possibility of being “burned in the warm-up”.
