“For a message of victory”, Nikos Androulakis spoke at the central pre-election gathering of PASOK-Change Movement in Thisio. “So today Athens is sending them a clear message: The more they hit us, the stronger we get. The faction founded by Andreas Papandreou has returned to the political scene as a protagonist”, he said as soon as he took the stage, exciting the gathered friends and supporters of PASOK-Movement of Change.

From the beginning of his speech, Mr. Androulakis launched a fierce attack on Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Alexis Tsipras, whom he accused of “trying to blackmail the citizens with false dilemmas, hoping that in this way they will influence the electoral base of our faction, that they will plunder it”.

As the president of PASOK-KINAL said “they never wanted cooperation with us. The goal was always to loot and in fact to eliminate the democratic faction. That’s what they did in ’89, that’s what they’re trying to do now. Well, they will fail again. This false bipartisanship of corruption will fail again. On Sunday night, the Democratic Party will be strong again.”

He emphasized that the country needs a new political paradigm, calling on citizens to support PASOK-KINAL, rejecting the promises of K. Mitsotakis and A. Tsipras. “Neither of them respects the institutions, justice, the rule of law”, Nikos Androulakis pointed out and underlined: “We are on the opposite bank because we are the democratic faction of principles, values, democracy, respect for human rights, rule of law, separation of powers. These do not enter into power deals, gentlemen. Every vote for PASOK is an embankment to authoritarianism and decadence. Every vote for PASOK is a vote for the Greece of the future. For the Greece of dignity. For Greece of equal opportunities. On May 21, I ask every democrat and progressive Greek to turn your back on worthlessness, division and contempt for real social issues. Support this new effort and we will not let any of you down.

A strong PASOK means stability in democracy, growth in the Economy, hope and perspective for the people. Raise proudly the green flag of hope, the green flag of Justice, the green flag of Solidarity. On May 21st we will be winners.”

He added that next Sunday evening, the political opponents of his party will be surprised to find that PASOK is reborn and the Great Democratic Party returns united, renewed and determined. He added that “Mr. Mitsotakis wants to appear as the only proposal of power, locked in his glass tower, he lives with his company in a parallel universe, which revolves around himself. He is stability. This is democracy. This is the state, he says with a Ludovician perception, impersonating the modernizer”.

“However, PASOK voters are neither sheep nor lotus eaters,” continued Mr. Androulakis. “Citizens do not forget, Mr. Mitsotakis, that when your party handed over bankrupt Greece to the PASOK government. “Instead of apologizing and taking responsibility, you voted together with Tsipras against the euro and in favor of bankruptcy and the drachma,” stressed Mr. Androulakis. He added how “his recent statements that ‘he cannot talk with Androulaki’s PASOK’ confirm one thing once again: I was not a danger to Greece and the Republic, as New Democracy and the digital parastatal officials were circulating after the revelation of monitoring, but a danger only for the New Democracy”.

“We don’t want a PASOK subjugated, a PASOK subservient to one or the other. We want a strong and leading PASOK. Because only PASOK can stand up to the populism of SYRIZA and the clientelistic elitism of Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” he said in an aversion to his speech.

Addressing the Prime Minister personally, Mr. Androulakis criticized him for a lack of empathy regarding his stance on the Tempe tragedy and Mr. Mitsotakis’ comment on the lawsuit filed by the victims’ relatives. Will you dictate, Mr. Mitsotakis, what the parents who lost their children will do? “Only PASOK can offer a truly progressive alternative governance proposal for the country,” he noted.

He also strongly criticized Alexis Tsipras, whom he again described as “a major sponsor that Mitsotakis does not want to be deprived of”. He underlined that the president of SYRIZA underestimates the memory and judgment of the Greek people when he proposes a special purpose government, when he asks to forget the tragic and miserable things he experienced during the five years he ruled the country together with Panos Kammenos.

Nikos Androulakis recalled all the important reforms made by PASOK over time and described his vision for social justice and reduction of inequalities, a strong social state, a healthy economy that embraces the many, gives opportunities to the new generation to develop their potential, to produce , to create in her place. For a democracy with strong institutions and the rule of law, which protects the human rights of all citizens.

He referred to the main axes of the program proposed by PASOK-KINAL to the citizens, with the first priority being the young people for the creation of a public pool of 150,000 homes, 50,000 full-time jobs for young unemployed people in the private sector with a four-year subsidy of employer contributions, strong and public education , supporting young families, protecting the first home of weak borrowers. He said that we propose 120 installments for their debts to tax and insurance funds, with incentives for their consistent and special financing lines for the digital and green transition.

“We want a new productive model that will be based on domestic production, will connect sectors of the economy with tourism and will take advantage of the green transition to protect the residents of urban centers, farmers, processors, from fluctuations in energy prices , through the diffusion of RES with the creation of energy communities and the installation of residential photovoltaics”, noted Nikos Androulakis. He made a special reference to the NHS: “The NHS needs support from the Recovery Fund, equivalent to that of other states that spend 8-10% of their resources on health”, he said and insisted on the establishment of a new EKAS for 350,000 low pensioners, abolishing the personal difference from 1/1/2024 and the unfair provisions on disability and widow’s pensions.

“The interventions are absolutely cost-effective and feasible: 1.1 billion euros,” he emphasized.