ATHENS – Facing growing dissension over the party’s foundering fortunes since he took over in December, 2021, PASOK-KINAL President Nikos Androulakis said he wants elections in October where he could face Athens’ Mayor Charis Doukas.

Androulakis told the PASOK Central Committee that the dates should be Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 in what would be a referendum on his tenure while Doukas – who won office in a surprise upset over New Democracy incumbent Kostas Bakoyiannis – has been in the post only five months and risen in influence among the Socialists.

Androulakis said he doesn’t want a long, drawn-out dramatic affair and that he “will be anyone’s hostage,” and ripped dissidents he threatened to eject for making “behind-the-scenes agreements and a parade of personal ambitions.”

He said he wants debates between himself and any challenges that emerge with criticism growing after a third-place finish in June elections for the European Parliament for the party’s candidates.

He acknowledged that, “We should have achieved more” and added that “we did not achieve all our goals,” but said he still wants to man the helm for a party whose PASOK core once was a dominant force in Greece.

That ended when then-leader Evangelos Venizelos agreed to join a New Democracy government as a junior coalition partner and accepted harsh austerity measures that were antithetical to its stated principles, bringing PASOK into disfavor.

Androulakis said he had been able to close the gap between PASOK and SYRIZA – whose new leader Stefanos Kasselakis is also facing a near rebellion from critics dissatisfied with his performance, and even passing the Leftists in some polls.

“Our gap with New Democracy (ND) was over 30 points, and with SYRIZA, it was 24. Now, the gap with ND is half, and with SYRIZA, it is two points,” said, saying the Conservative government slid badly in the European Parliament polls.

Doukas said he would give his vision for the country – hinting further he would run – but that he didn’t want to give up being Mayor at the same time, as internecine political battles have broken out in PASOK and become public.

SHORT ROAD AHEAD

“We want to make PASOK again, the soul of the democratic faction, of great changes and values, which will govern the country. In other words, we want to be able to create the conditions so that the big democratic faction will be in the government next time, in the next national elections” Doukas said.

Another candidate is likely to be Member of Parliament Pavlos Geroulanos, who sounded eager to take on his party’s leader when he said that the party needed to find out “what went wrong” in the European Parliament elections.

“This is no time for a witch hunt,” Geroulanos told Open TV. “Everyone is judged,” even while judging the disappointing results. “PASOK’s goal was to become the second party. Nikos Androulakis had said that if we came third, it would be a political defeat,” he said, noting however record abstention.

He also dismissed claims that PASOK doesn’t do well in Attica, Greece’s most populous region, adding that the party’s percentages went up compared to the other electoral contests, the European polls coming on a prime beach day.

A recent poll had Doukas, at 21.5 percent, just ahead of Androulakis’ 20.9 percent and with 18.4 percent for Geroulanos, showing how divided the party is as it struggles to regain popularity after being shunted into political irrelevancy.

If Doukas wins and stays as Athens Mayor it means there would be two party leaders, the other being PASOK lawmaker Manolis Christodoulakis, who has openly supported the mayor, said Proto Thema.

“We cannot afford to waste time, indulge in personal egos, or be ensnared in endless, self-referential processes. Society is seeking a voice, and it demands action now. It calls upon us, and it will not wait,” said Christodoulakis.

For now the big winner is Mitsotakis, with PASOK and SYRIZA in disarray and the Conservatives running away from rivals despite dropping 12.48 percent in the results compared to its rout of SYRIZA and opponents in 2023 national polls.