In the following days, the first – institutional – meeting of the president of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance Stefanos Kasselakis with the president of PASOK-KINAL Nikos Androulakis has been planned.
As announced today, the meeting is expected to take place at the end of the week or early next.
It is characteristic that both sides hastened to clarify that this is an “institutional” meeting, apparently in order to avoid associations and any discussion about… collusion between the two center-left parties, while officials from both sides do not hide that that is what they would desire.
The two political leaders also met on Saturday, October 28, during the military parade in Thessaloniki. The camera captured distancing between Mr. Kasselakis and Androulakis since they did not seem to even exchange a glance in any frame captured. However, according to information the two talked in a good atmosphere about various issues – but not of a political nature.
In the second electoral battle of the local government elections, the partnership bore fruit
Of course, the electoral percentage as well as the one given by the recent opinion polls for both SYRIZA-PS and PASOK-KINAL does not allow room for… “Bonapartism”, with several officials expressing the desire to go along. The percentages of both parties together in the national elections and in the subsequent polls do not come close to that of the New Democracy, despite any deterioration.
On the contrary, in the second electoral battle of the local government elections, it appeared that a possible partnership between SYRIZA-PS and PASOK-KINAL may bear fruit.
The victories of Haris Doukas, Dimitris Kouretas, Stelios Angeloudis and Chrysas Arapoglou against New Democracy candidates were the ones that rekindled the debate among officials of the two parties.
SYRIZA and PASOK officials call for cooperation
Giorgos Papandreou, from the electoral center of Haris Doukas, sent a message to Nikos Androulakis for the political cooperation of PASOK and SYRIZA, if not in the central political scene, at least in the European elections of 2024. Similarly, his brother, MEP with PASOK, Nikos Papandreou, emphasized a few days ago that Stefanos Kasselakis “brings fresh air”.
Pavlos Geroulanos has stated that he believes that there is a lot of fertile ground for grassroots cooperation between the two parties, while similar statements have been made by Theodoros Margaritis.
From the side of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanos Kasselakis from the first moment declared that the second Sunday of the self-governing elections was a victory for the progressive forces, indirectly, but not clearly, inviting them to participate.
Spirtzis leads the way
However, Christos Spirtzis is leading the way for a SYRIZA and PASOK alliance. “SYRIZA and PASOK must be amalgamated,” said the former Minister of Infrastructure today.
In the previous days he had emphasized that “I pointed out the need for a very close cooperation and collusion between SYRIZA with PASOK. From there on, if the two parties are not able to take big steps in order to satisfy the message sent by the progressive people of the country in the second round, they deserve their fate.”
The head of “Open City” Costas Zachariadis was from the first moment at the election center of Haris Doukas and strongly and openly supported him although, as he has stated, “SYRIZA cannot dissolve and make a joint ballot with PASOK”.
The fact is that the first official meeting of Nikos Androulakis and Stefanos Kasselakis may be “institutional”, however, it is estimated that executives and the base of the two parties are the two components that can push the leaderships on a consensus basis, especially, as it was seen in the second round of the self-governing ones, they bring result and victory against ND and Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Latest News
Vacant Properties in Greece Posing Risk of Forest Fires
Homeowners are calling on municipal authorities to clear away empty properties which pose a serious threat of fire in the summer
New ‘Jobmatch’ App to Link Greek Tourism Businesses with Jobseekers
New digital app ‘Jobmatch’ aims to help Greece’s tourism and hospitality sector fill hundreds of empty posts ahead of the tourism season
HSBC, Goldman Sachs Positive on Greek Economy
Goldman Sachs sees an upgrade of the Greek stock market
Greek Easter 1.5bln-Euro Turnover Satisfies Retailers
This year’s Orthodox Easter coincided with the beginning of the summer tourist season, resulting in a 15% increase in tourist traffic in downtown Athens
President von der Leyen’s Campaign Website Attacked by Bots
The President of the European Commission announced the attack, which comes one month before European Parliament elections and following a series of media reports about Russian-led disinformation campaigns, on her X account
MEPs Rake in ‘Whopping’ €8.7 mln in Side Gigs – Transparency Intl
The report opens a "can of worms" about the potential for foreign governments to influence MEPs and notes that Greece's MEPs rank the 3rd highest for their generation of side income
Greece Reacts Sternly to Turkish Decision to Open UNESCO Site Chora Church as a Muslim Mosque
"The decision of the Turkish authorities to start the operation of the Monastery of Chora as a Muslim Mosque constitutes a provocation to the international community", the Greek Foreign Ministry stated
DW: Greece Prepares for the 2024 Tourist Season Amid Climate Change Challenges
The Greek state has adopted measures to alleviate the impact of climate change
Greco-French Relations on Ice: Exploring the Chill between Mitsotakis and Macron
Macron allegedly sought increased military support for Ukraine, including weaponry and Western troop deployment for training in Western Ukraine, a request declined by Mitsotakis
Greece Secures Stable Tourism Flows at 30 Million Arrivals
However, despite this year’s bookings projected to rise slightly compared to last year, Yiannis Hatzis, President of the Panhellenic Federation of Hoteliers, stresses the importance of strategic planning