By Antonis Anzoletou

It will be a surprise if the ecumenical character of Constantinople affects him Stefanos Kasselakis and the Nikos Androulakis during their joint stay in the Bosphorus.

On Saturday, the two political leaders will attend the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of Agios Georgios in Fanari and then the ceremony of sanctifying the waters in the Keratio gulf.

Is it another opportunity for SYRIZA and PASOK to come closer? The conditions do not indicate that there is suitable ground. At the end of November, the two had sat side by side at the Stavros Niarchos foundation at the seventh “sustainable – innovative and responsible entrepreneurship” award ceremony and “the place froze”.

Only a formal handshake was recorded and from then on their eyes never crossed.

The climate between the two largest opposition parties is not good. It is natural because their goal is now common. After the decline of SYRIZA, the rise of PASOK to second place and the big poll “scissors” by New Democracy, both want to dominate the space of the center-left.

Koumoundourou wants to take back the scepter she has held since 2012 and for PASOK to restore the conditions of bipartisanship that applied in the post-colonial period.

The truth is that after the parenthesis of the attack that Stefanos Kasselakis had unleashed on the former prime minister, Costas Simitis, the two leaders avoid the conflicts between them. Their announcements and their criticism are focused on the actions of the government without, however, having any opposition coordination.

In the Parliament they will find themselves in the next period of time keeping up with each other in several cases, but even this fact is not going to bring them closer, at least until the European elections. Possibly, in fact, the issue of non-state universities will be a reason for the two parties to clash.

Executives such as Christos Spirtzis, who recently predicted that the merger will come quickly, would like developments to run, however, so far there are no such signs. The registration of forces and the competition that exists in view of the European elections on June 9 do not allow other plans.

Their presence at Fanari demonstrates that both are attempting to build a “patriotic profile”. Especially for SYRIZA, the turn that the new president has made from the radical to the patriotic left is obvious and he reminds it very often in his positions.

Mr. Kasselakis will meet with Constantinople expatriates on Saturday evening, after the lunch that the Ecumenical Patriarch will provide at noon of the same day at the Patriarchal bank.

On Sunday, he will meet with the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglou. Nikos Androulakis met yesterday with Mr. Bartholomeos.