PASOK leadership up for grabs
After a nail-biting first round in PASOK’s leadership elections, it was decided that incumbent leader Nikos Androulakis will face off against Athens Mayor Haris Doukas in next Sunday’s runoff.
Doukas secured second place over MP and former minister Pavlos Yeroulanos by a razor-thin margin of just 858 votes, according to final results published Monday morning.
It became clear early on that Androulakis would emerge as the frontrunner, and he ultimately won by an eight-point margin. With 100% of the votes counted, Androulakis received 29.64%, Doukas 21.41%, and Yeroulanos 21.12%. Former EU commissioner and minister Anna Diamantopoulou received 19.52%, while MPs Michalis Katrinis and Nadia Giannakopoulou received 6.03% and 2.29%, respectively.
PASOK officials expressed satisfaction with the high voter turnout, as more than 300,000 citizens cast their ballots. By comparison, in the equivalent election process of 2021, where Androulakis was elected president, 270,000 voters participated in the first round.
Speaking after the results were announced, Androulakis expressed his confidence that “PASOK will emerge even more united, stronger, and prouder.” His success on his native island of Crete was a key factor in securing his lead, with over 60% of the vote coming from the region.
Doukas said that the election had sent a “clear” message: “70% are calling for a change in leadership.” The mayor of Athens emerged as the leading candidate in the Epirus region, but ranked fourth in Attica, receiving only 17.93%.
Analysts point out that the results in the Attica region reflect differences between the party’s base in urban areas and in the provinces. In Attica, Yeroulanos and Diamantopoulou took the top two spots, with 27.2% and 25.6% of the vote, respectively.
After narrowly missing advancing to the runoff, Yeroulanos congratulated his rivals but refrained from endorsing either candidate for Sunday’s runoff. “I don’t think the citizens coming to vote need to be directed in any particular way,” he said, adding that “the race is still open.”
Diamantopoulou similarly declined to comment on whom she might support in the second round. “I am here, and I deeply believe that in the days ahead, we will be united and work together for a stronger PASOK,” she said.
It remains to be seen how Yeroulanos and Diamantopoulou, who both secured significant portions of the vote, will position themselves going forward.
Another key issue will be voter turnout in the runoff, along with the political and organizational dynamics of the party base. In the 2021 election, although 270,000 citizens participated in the first round, turnout dropped significantly to 207,000 in the runoff.
With the margin between Androulakis and Doukas remaining in single digits, analysts suggest that the contest is still very much up for grabs.
