PASOK at 50 and the challenges ahead
With ruling New Democracy emitting a sense of fatigue and registering a significant drop in the polls – the result of wrong political choices but also of the arrogant behavior of some of its officials – and SYRIZA experiencing never-ending self-destructive infighting and sinking into an existential rut, PASOK is celebrating its 50th anniversary at a crucial time for its and the country’s future.
The – currently – third-largest party in Parliament, founded by the late Andreas Papandreou on September 3, 1974, faces two challenges: to elect a new leader following vocal criticism of current head Nikos Androulakis about his ability to achieve a significant jump in the party’s appeal and not just a limited rise in popularity; and to clarify its ideology, to inspire and quickly attract voters from a very wide pool of citizens, including the many disillusioned voters, so as to present itself as a credible alternative to the center-right government.
The two challenges are obviously interrelated. One affects, if not depends on, the other.
Having led Greece for almost half of the past 50 years, forging a path with actions that covered the full spectrum from extreme populism to realistic modernization, with institutional changes and positive contributions, but also important mistakes and excesses that cost the country dearly, PASOK is now at a crossroads with respect to its ideological compass and long-term goals.
One option is to become the junior partner in a future coalition with the ruling conservatives, a prospect that brings to mind the coalition government of 2012-14, but that period was very particular in the country’s recent history with risks that do not exist today.
On the other hand, the numbers and common sense make it clear that the center-left’s response to the dominance of New Democracy is for PASOK and SYRIZA, along with the smaller New Left, to find a way to work with each other, to present a common “progressive vision.”
The result of next month’s leadership election in PASOK will be of pivotal importance and will be a decisive parameter of the complex equation that the party’s leadership and voters are called upon to solve.
Will the new head of the party be able or willing to lead in this effort, with all that this entails in terms of rhetoric, positions and initiatives?
In the end, will the election be a new starting point for PASOK, will it be just another stop in its history, or will it prove to be the end of the road?
