PASOK MEP Nikos Papandreou endorses Pavlos Yeroulanos in leadership contest

PASOK MEP Nikos Papandreou announced on Wednesday his support for Pavlos Yeroulanos, a former culture minister, in the upcoming leadership contest.

“If the members and friends of the party decide to give him this historic opportunity, I believe he can use it to benefit the party and society,” said Papandreou.

Yeroulanos previously participated in the 2021 leadership race for the party, then known as Movement for Change (KINAL), which was eventually won by incumbent president Nikos Androulakis.

PASOK’s third-place finish in the June European Parliament elections has sparked renewed navel-gazing within the once-dominant socialist party. The MEP, who is the brother of former prime minister George Papandreou, was one of the first to question Androulakis after PASOK’s lukewarm performance.

The upcoming leadership election is scheduled for October 6, with a potential second round on October 13 if no candidate secures an absolute majority of votes.

Lawmakers Milena Apostolaki, Michalis Katrinis, and Nadia Gianakopoulou, as well as Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, have so far announced their candidacies against Androulakis.

Anna Diamantopoulou, a former EU commissioner and minister, has also indicated she will join the race.

Early opinion polls show Androulakis leading, followed by Doukas.