“The result of tonight’s elections is clear: PASOK continues its steady upward trajectory. It is clearly by a large margin the second power in self-government” said Nikos Androulakis commenting on the results of the local elections.

But we have big challenges ahead, he added.

We have much more to achieve and we will achieve it together with the democratic progressive world of the country because the great challenge and the great goal is one: Our faction, the democratic faction, to be in the next national elections the reliable progressive force, which will face with success New Democracy. Responding to a journalist’s question regarding the statements of the President of SYRIZA, Mr. Androulakis noted:

“Our anxiety is in the next national elections, New Democracy to have a reliable, formidable, powerful opponent. And this will not be achieved with a show. This will be achieved with a daily struggle, with a structured political program, with positions inside the Parliament and outside it. Be assured that this is our agony.

I am sure that with renewal, unity, clear reason we will succeed. Because the New Democracy governs for three months and within these three months, instead of dealing with the problems, new ones accumulate. Huge inequalities, precision galloping, climate change brought biblical natural disasters that could not be dealt with through prevention, and games with the institutions. Mr. Mitsotakis had the audacity to get even with the far-right Velopoulos in order to beat the independent authorities.

These are the big challenges, and in these challenges, PASOK will be opposite the New Democracy, with a firm reason, program and daily struggle”.
Asked about the stigma of PASOK-Movement of Change’s self-governing choices, Mr. Androulakis emphasized:

“We made self-governing choices, that is, with knowledge of self-governing, but also renewal options. With ethics and competence. I am very happy that one of these choices, Haris Doukas, who brings together the broadest progressive forces – obviously not only from PASOK but also from ecology, the renewalist left – brought an important result.

It is important that in the second round these forces, even more united, even more programmatic, “plough” all the neighborhoods of Athens and bring a very big victory. A victory that will send a message that no one, no matter how powerful they are, no matter how much they are supported by the mainstream media, can be defeated because they failed to manage the big problems of Athens.

This will also happen in other regions of Greece. I invite other progressive and democratic citizens of all political stripes to this fight over the next seven days to stand by us.

Because our concern is a self-government that will serve the citizen. A self-government that will have a project and offer, making proper use of European programs. And not a “long-handed” self-government of Mr. Mitsotakis and Megaros Maximos throughout Greece. Well, I don’t think the Greek people deserve this self-government.”