Androulakis’ last chance
Nikos Androulakis may have been triumphantly re-elected to the helm of PASOK last Sunday, but the reasons that led to his leadership being challenged in the first place have not been resolved. The socialist party came third in the double elections of 2023 and in the recent European Parliament elections because it failed to convince voters that it constitutes a credible alternative to governing New Democracy.
Citizens don’t trust it because its rhetoric is stale, its anti-right-wing reflexes hark back to the 1980s and the days of Andreas Papandreou, and because it appears to be flirting with a completely obsolete Left that nearly crashed the country against the rocks.
Citizens don’t trust it because Androulakis’ leadership proved to be unassertive, introverted and incapable of taking bold decisions, or even not-so-bold decisions like voting in favor of legislation that represented PASOK’s own position on issues like same-sex marriage and private universities.
To give him credit, Androulakis has admitted to these shortcomings. Now he has a second chance to fix them, to adapt to present circumstances and to transform PASOK into a powerful party representing the progressive center, as demanded by its supporters. It should also incorporate the progressive proposals put forward by Androulakis’ rivals, Pavlos Geroulanos and Anna Diamantopoulou, who garnered 122,500 votes in the first round of the leadership race and enjoyed significant support in Athens and Thessaloniki, Greece’s two main cities and PASOK’s weak spot in almost every election.
PASOK needs to reach out to experienced and capable candidates, to speak the language of the more vibrant sections of society and to appeal to young people, who apparently have no business with PASOK, as only 10% in the 17-34 age group supports the party.
The party needs to reshape its policy proposals, focusing on areas like the modernization of the anachronistic public administration, cracking down on tax evasion and dealing with the biggest problem this country is facing right now – the demographic crisis – with support measures for young families like subsidies for children, access to decent and affordable housing, better child care service, etc.
Will Androulakis be able to rise to the occasion and give PASOK a new identity by putting together an alternative proposal for the governance of this country that inspires a sense of justice, stability and growth? That is the big question.
