Political turmoil set to widen this week
A week of political tensions lies ahead with the impact of the European elections continuing to resonate across the three big political parties that failed to reach their goals.
In ruling New Democracy party former PM Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras are both set to speak in a closely watched event on Monday evening, seen as a repudiation against Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, following the disappointing EU election results.
Main opposition SYRIZA party could be close to another split, with an internal war ongoing and dozens of officials questioning and criticizing the party’s leader Stefanos Kasselakis and reiterating the need for cooperation among the center-left parties.
Socialists PASOK party heads to leadership elections in October, as the party’s leader Nikos Androulakis announced on Sunday. Androulakis faced strong criticism after PASOK failed to overtake SYRIZA as the second largest party. He himself had said such a result would be a failure.
New Democracy
Former prime ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras speak in an event at the War Museum. The gathering follows a mini rebellion from dozens of MPs last week, who either blamed the government’s central line for the election outcome or complained about the government actions. The organizers bet on a nationwide turnout, while several MPs, as well as officials from other parties to the right of the political spectrum are expected to attend.
SYRIZA
The Political Committee of the main opposition party will meet on Thursday to prepare for a session of the party’s Central Committee over the recent developments and the unprecedented turmoil within the party. The Central Committee is set to convene on Sunday.
PASOK
The current mayor of Athens Haris Doukas and an MP and former Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos announced on Sunday they will run against incumbent PASOK president Nikos Androulakis in an October leadership race. More candidacies might be announced in the coming weeks.
Androulakis proposed that the leadership contest, originally scheduled to take place at the end of 2025, be advanced to October 6 this year. A second round will take place October 13, if no candidate obtains the absolute majority of votes. His proposal was accepted.
Cabinet meeting
A cabinet meeting takes place on Sunday morning, where among others a new set of measures to prevent forest fires and the process for cleaning up land will be discussed.
