Greek Elections 2023: SYRIZA – PASOK fighting over Center-Left votes

It may be that the fights in the center-left and the lack of a common step even on two or three top pre-election issues gave points to New Democracy thus contributing to its overwhelming victory, but it seems that there aqre some who continue along these lines as if they did not understand what happened eight days ago .

The fight between SYRIZA and PASOK for the hegemony in the Center-Left and a possible change in the correlation of forces on June 25, started almost immediately after the reading of the results of May 21.

It was clearly seen that the main issue for SYRIZA and PASOK is who will get the upper hand in the field, thus essentially leaving the field free for the ND to play alone in an open field.

The “thorns” for SYRIZA

The biggest problem is faced by SYRIZA, which saw its percentages shrink dramatically.

He initially laid some of the… blame for the poor result on the opposition parties who turned their backs on a possible coalition government.

Despite the fact that this narrative did not find a response, both the SYRIZA president and top party officials insisted that political time was wasted on an effort that was doomed at birth.

Alexis Tsipras, however, after the initial shock of the result, with the statements that followed, showed that he received the messages of the ballot box and the reasons for the painful defeat.

It seems that he has slightly changed cpurse and promised to focus on the real problems that concern society and to focus during the pre-election period on making the people perceive – as he said – the real differences between SYRIZA and New Democracy.

The effort to change course and restore trusting relations with disaffected SYRIZA voters, however, probably for some, fell short of expectations as some asked and are asking for even bolder steps in order to mount a counterattack in view of the new elections.

PASOK follows the same “recipe”

As for PASOK, it is clear that they are not changing tactics.

Nikos Androulakis, believing that PASOK’s dynamic course in the May 21 elections will continue, continues the two-front attack against New Democracy – SYRIZA, while at party HQ on Harilaou Trikoupis, once again, they put the “brake” on any possibility of cooperation with ND.

Although at a first reading this particular position seems perfectly reasonable for the PASOK leadership as it “came out” for Nikos Androulakis in the first polls, there are some who argue that in this way, some voters who are wavering about where to cast their vote, will likely be directed to the ND in order to prevent the possibility of setting up third ballot boxes.

“The blue map is not a product of the offerings of New Democracy to the Greek people. It is a result of the manner and style of the SYRIZA opposition,” Mr. Androulakis said yesterday, among other things, speaking to the members of the Central Political Committee.

He meaningfully added that “PASOK was and remains the genuine representative of the center-left, the initiator of real reforms and the guarantor of democratic institutions and social justice”.

Butter on New Democracy’s bread

While the country is counting down to the new polls, in New Democracy it seems that they are enjoying watching the “fires” on both sides of the Center-Left.

The quarrels and antagonism between SYRIZA-PASOK allows Kyriakos Mitsotakis to send the clear message he wants ahead of the new elections, which is nothing more than asking the citizens to give him a strong and clear mandate for a stable government, as he stated on Monday morning in his interview with MEGA.

At the same time, wanting to show that the central narrative for the June 25 elections is not changing, he emphasized that he is not concerned with what is happening in the Center-Left.

“I want to explain to those who did not vote for us again what we want to do. I believe that our program has not been sufficiently heard. To explain to them why they can trust ND,” he emphasized.