Political tactics
As expected, PASOK’s Executive Bureau under the presidency of Prime Minister Costas Simitis yesterday approved the Socialists’ new political strategy, which is now the official party line. Once again, PASOK is abandoning the goal of an all-powerful government two years before the completion of its four-year term and on the eve of local and prefectural elections. Simitis and the PASOK General Secretary Costas Laliotis have been careful not to connect the new policy of a center-left alliance with PASOK’s obvious electoral objectives, but the genuine aim is not hard to discern. Similar to the 1989-1990 period, the attempt to form a coalition government with the Left Coalition and, perhaps, the Movement of Free Citizens is a product of political necessity. Opinion polls show that conservative New Democracy enjoys a clear and widening lead. Although no one can ever discount a result in politics, the chances that PASOK will win the next parliamentary elections are shrinking constantly. Although it is not admitted, PASOK’s political strategy is eying the presidential election in the early months of 2005. The ballot will, of course, have been preceded by a change in the electoral system, aimed at forcing the smaller parties into allying with PASOK. Or at least, this is what Simitis and Laliotis hope for. Things, however, are more complicated than that. The Greek Communist Party has ruled out the chance of collaborating with the ruling party even in the local and prefectural elections. The Left Coalition is also skeptical, even though it does not exclude the possibility of a political dialogue with PASOK. Finally, Dimitris Avramopoulos’s Movement of Free Citizens has more room to maneuver, as it holds the middle ground and can join forces with either ND or PASOK. Parties no doubt have the right to map out the policy they think best promotes their aims and interests. But there are certain limits and commonly accepted standards to be respected, as they offer stability and credibility to our political system. Unfortunately, PASOK treats these as trivial details. The only thing that seems to matter to its leadership is adapting institutions in such a way that would allow it to return to power in 2005, if – as seems likely – it loses the coming parliamentary elections.
