PASOK sources rule out expedited leadership race amid election disappointment

Sources within PASOK on Wednesday dismissed the idea of expediting the leadership elections in response to the socialist party’s lackluster performance in the recent European Parliament elections.

“We will not allow the party to sink into navel-gazing,” the sources said.

They added that “PASOK needs outward-looking initiatives, which are hindered by hastily coordinated public interventions from those who claim allegiance to institutional protocols,” reiterating that the election procedures will strictly adhere to the timeframe outlined in the party’s statute.

In Sunday’s elections, PASOK garnered less than 13% of the vote, placing third behind the main opposition party, SYRIZA. Leader Nikos Androulakis had aimed for a second-place finish.

Earlier on Wednesday, PASOK MP Odysseas Konstantinopoulos called for a change in leadership and suggested advancing the scheduled leadership election originally planned for 2025.

“We need a robust reboot! A fresh, vigorous mandate to realize the lofty ambitions of PASOK, with leadership capable of mobilizing broader social forces,” he said in a missive directed to the party’s secretary and the political committee.

Konstantinopoulos’ proposal was welcomed by former minister Pavlos Geroulanos, who had contested against Androulakis in the 2021 leadership race.