By Antonis Anzoletou

It will be seen in the next few hours if its statute PASOK and the irreconcilables it includes will cause new “storms” in Harilaou Trikoupi. The “fine print” always makes the difference in the “laws” by which a party operates.

It is recalled that after the election of Stefanos Kasselakis to his presidency SYRIZA there were not a few members of the internal party opposition who were puzzled by the fact that there was no provision in the Koumundourou statutes to exclude a non-member of the party from the presidential race.

What does the specific article of its statute state PASOK; “Those members of the organization who hold, after appointment or election, a salaried position of a political nature in the state or in the wider public sector and self-government, cannot be candidates for one-person bodies”. The answer to the question of whether any candidate will raise such an issue is not simple. Such a “movement” can “burn” the one who will decide to do it and appear that he is afraid of the competition. At the same time giving points to the one for whom the bell rings.

When the mayor of Athens, Harry Doukas, announced his candidacy to the Central Committee, no one reacted to the president of PASOK stating that all ambitions are legitimate. In any case, the statutory provisions cannot be disregarded. Possibly even his resignation from the payroll of the mayor of Athens, which is a position of a political nature, could not remove the irreconcilable. The nominations are approved by EDEKAP which will meet in the next few days and the interest will be great.

Haris Doukas spoke to REAL FM yesterday about this specific issue, with the journalist asking him: “Many people consider that this provision effectively excludes your candidacy because you are the elected Mayor of Athens.”

His answer was as follows: “I submitted my candidacy to the Central Committee in the presence of the President. Until now, obstacles of this type, irreconcilable ones, were put by the ND through its government representative, Mr. Voridis, Mr. Pleuris, Mr. Velopoulos and Mr. Polakis. Is there anyone from PASOK who puts up such an obstacle? If there is, I think the president himself must answer.”

Last-minute surprises set another tone in the intra-party race. Now the “seven” are waiting for the final decisions of Anna Diamantopoulou with many considering her candidacy almost certain. Her descent is clearly affecting the current poll frontrunners in the succession battle by shifting the balance.