By Antonis Anzoletou

Anna Diamantopoulou’s candidacy changes everything in the “race” for PASOK leadership. It is clearly a development that “touches” more those who have been dominant in the polls for the presidency up to now (Nikos Androulakis, Harry Doukas, Pavlos Geroulanos), however the rest are also expected to readjust their strategy. What is expected to play a special role and to reheat the discussion that will follow is the fact that Anna Diamantopoulou is a person with a very strong resume coming from the “golden times” of PASOK. The former Commissioner is also expected to rely on this. The return of the Movement to a governability trajectory, the political stigma of the party, the debate on the center-left and the repatriation of old disillusioned voters, mainly to the New Democracy, will be its “weapons” to face its opponents. It is no coincidence that he referred to the video in which he formalized his candidacy, speaking “for a great and ruling PASOK”.

It is expected that the former PASOK minister will address a center-right audience which is currently dissatisfied with political developments and throughout the previous period watched with sympathy her conscious withdrawal from the active political scene. There is, however, a double reading of this fact. For the distance he had kept from PASOK, but also for the “flirt”, according to some, with New Democracy, the first “nails” have already fallen. Speaking to SKAI, Nikos Androulakis emphasized that “everyone will be judged for their contribution and consistency by the world of the faction”. “The parties have principles and values, the parties are not a center of passers-by for someone to leave, go across and then come back as if nothing happened,” said Michalis Katrinis in OPEN, while n Nadia Giannakopoulou he said to ATTICA TV: “I never left PA.SO.K. and from my place, I was always in front of the most difficult moments without changing either to the right or to the left”.

Anna Diamantopoulou’s candidacy will “shuffle the deck”, as it is possible that she will attract people to the PASOK polls who would otherwise have no reason to participate. The opening of the process automatically also means “symbolizing” the current nominations or forming new alliances on the way to the polls. Another element is expected to tip the “scales”. Everyone is waiting to see if the two former prime ministers Kostas Simitis and Giorgos Papandreou will open their papers, but also what position the former president of PASOK Evangelos Venizelos will take.