Androulakis gives nod to coalition gov’t provided strong party showing

Nikos Androulakis, the leader of Greece’s third-largest political coalition, PASOK-KINAL, has expressed his support for a coalition government after the May 21 election, provided that his party performs well in the vote, enabling him to negotiate their political priorities with the top vote-getting party.

Speaking at the Delphi Economic Forum Thursday, Androulakis said: “I have spoken in favor of coalition governments. A prerequisite for PASOK’s participation is a strong percentage [in the elections] that will enable me to negotiate our political priorities.”

However, he also reiterated his position that he would not support a government led by either the conservative incumbent Kyriakos Mitsotakis or the leftist opposition chief Alexis Tsipras if the election results are inconclusive. 

“The main culprits behind the country’s major problems cannot be in leading positions,” he said. 

“I do not trust two individuals who are to blame for anti-memorandum populism and violation of human rights,” he said.

Androulakis also said that he has been “trying to prove in practice what modern European social democracy means” since he took over as the head of PASOK-KINAL.