Three hours before the official announcement of his new political party Saturday afternoon, former Prime Minister George Papandreou submitted the necessary documents to the court so that the new party will be able to participate in the elections of January 25th.
The name of Greece’s new political party is reportedly “Movement of Democratic Socialists” and the emblem is a rose on a red background.
The party statute is signed by 252 personalities.
Even before the official announcement, Socialist PASOK saw three acting MPs (Sachinidis, Kedikoglou, Moraitis), two former ex Secretaries (Karchimakis, Xynidis) and Papandreou government spokesman (Petalotis) to rush to the new movement. Also historical party officials like Reppas said Bye-Bye to PASOK chairman Evangelos Venizelos and joined the movement.
In a lengthy statement starting with the phrases “New year. New start. Time for the next big step of the progressive forces of the country,” the ex PM invited mainly PASOK members and supporters to follow him in his new effort.
The party that was founded by his father, Andreas Papandreou, issued an angry statement describing the attempt to divide PASOK as “immoral act.”
picture from the party announcement -emblem…
George Papandreou has been at odds with his own party after lawmakers asked to to resign right after the sound failure to push the idea of a “Greek Euro referendum” to the country’s lenders, EU, IMF and ECB in November 2011. A week later, Papandreou was replaced in the party leadership by Evangelos Venizelos, and Greece got the blessing of ex banker Papadimas, who formed a government and pushed the country into a second austerity bailout agreement with the Troika.
based on the color combination it looks like a Xmas party, me thinks!
It is not clear yet, to what extend Papandreou’s party will smash the already politically dying PASOK – the party that ruled the country for more than three decades and in 2009 elections got 45% of the voters’ preference. According to the most extreme scenario, maybe both PASOK and Papadnreou’s Democratic Socialists fail to pass the 3% threshold and will not enter the Parliament.
But PASOK will certainly be knocked out as the Papandreou family has still devoted supporters.
The majority of voters of the past have already turned their back to PASOK as it constantly supported the harshest austerity measures a country ever saw. And many, much too many Greeks blame PASOK for accumulating a huge public debt by borrowing and spending as if there was no tomorrow.
Financial Times noted that Papandreou is set to lead a “wild card” party.
Well. This time and in these upcoming elections, Greece is going to have much to many small parties, so we’d better count our “wild cards” before they hatch…
PS the Prime Minister who surrendered Greece to International Monetary Fund in May 2010, wants to save the country again? OH NO.
