MP Milena Apostolaki withdraws from PASOK leadership race
PASOK MP Milena Apostolaki has withdrawn from the socialist party’s leadership race, according to an announcement made late Wednesday.
“I observe with increasing concern that personal conflicts are dominating and may jeopardize the cohesion of the party. I am determined, with the resources I have, to stand against such a development,” Apostolaki, now 59, said, adding: “I want to be part of the solution, not the crisis.”
Apostolaki, a former deputy minister of rural development, also emphasized the need to build a “strong progressive force against the arrogance of New Democracy and [Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis.”
She did not endorse any other candidate at this time.
The number of candidates has now been reduced to seven. The leading contenders are current leader Nikos Androulakis, Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, former culture minister Pavlos Geroulanos and former EU commissioner and socialist minister Anna Diamantopoulou. The remaining candidates are journalist Giannis Kanellakis, and MPs Michalis Katrinis and Nadia Giannakopoulou.
The election is scheduled for October 6, with a second round set for October 13 if no candidate secures an absolute majority.
The election was moved up from next year following the party’s lackluster performance in the European Parliament elections in June.
