“I do not settle for 13%. So, when you make fair criticism, – because we all love the faction, at least that’s what I think -, you have to say what the other way is. Saying I’ll go PASOK 20-25-30%’, sounds good but since there are no magicians in politics, tell us how it will be done. With my own plan, I managed to turn 8% into 13%, let’s take the big municipalities, settle our debts, end the ‘who will you go with’, we are an autonomous political pole” said the president of PASOK-Movement for Change , Nikos Androulakis speaking to Mega.

“For the people of PASOK, I will fight and I will try to make what we achieved, being the second party in the region with percentages in many areas above 20%, happen all over Greece. I’m sure we can and will do it. But it wants unity, seriousness and a progressive plan. And certainly not messianism,” he emphasized.

He commented on the discussion that has started for the Center-Left, saying that “this conversation was also opened in 2019 by the same persons, with SYRIZA at 32% and PASOK at 8%. Now it is reopened by approximately the same persons with the difference between PASOK and SYRIZA in the two units. My strategy for the center-left is one: It strengthens PASOK and at the same time it expands bilaterally”. He cited the victory of the Labor party in Britain noting that “a year ago in England, the Labor party was stagnant. They harshly criticized its president, and after a year of increasing his power by just 1%, he became a government. I want to say with this that the struggle, the unity and the perspective of the faction is for me the compass and I think that if we quickly overcome this introversion that has been created, in a positive political way, we will succeed”.

He stated that he is not going to get into any conflict, it goes beyond the issues of the statute, and that he wants the process to be politicized. “When you have positions, you help and you don’t do this “catwalk” process. I want positions, proposals for society, for the party, so that it is a refreshing process and not a conflict of ambitions”, said the president of PASOK-Movement for Change.

As for the disputed article in the statute with provision of incompatibility in single-member bodiesthe president of PASOK-Change Movement, was clear:

“There is an article, which I read that was my invention in 2013, this is not the case. It has been in our statute since 2008. The article in question was introduced during the presidency George Papandreou in the congress of 2008. In 2013 I tabled an amendment – to meet again – which said that it is forbidden when you choose to be appointed to the state by the ruling party, to be in its central bodies.

Why did I do it? Because I wanted there to be a clear change of course in the country, so that the state is not the prey of the parties and I wanted us to start with us, with PASOK.

Mr. Doukas should have known the distinction between my own initiative and the older amendment, because in 2013 the one who undertook to write the irreconcilables is his current closest associate, Mr. Protopappas, who sent me the statute and I as secretary then I posted it online.

This conversation has no political meaning. I am not going to raise any question about the candidacy of Mr. Doukas. When I was informed by the competent committee, EDEKAP, I asked for it to be overcome in an institutional way, to quickly go through our procedures, to speak politically.”

Asked about the possibility of cooperation of the opposition at the parliamentary level, Mr. Androulakis underlined how it should always be done in the foreground. “But in behind-the-scenes processes of old PASOK executives who went to SYRIZA for the chair and because they lost it, they want to return to PASOK or create a wider fluidity to play a role again, I’m sorry but I don’t get involved in such behind-the-scenes games”, he stressed.