For one more time, Greece’s socialist party PASOK is changing its name. I tiwll merge with small party To Potami and be named “Movement of Change”. For one more time, PASOK will change its tax number.
Leader of Democratic Alignment (PASOK) Fofi Gennimata and the leader of To Potami, Stavros Theodorakis, agreed on Tuesday that the new and progressive center-left party will be named “Movement of Change.”
Its founding conference is scheduled to take place in early spring. Until then, the two parties will be part of the Greek parliament as Democratic Alignment and To Potami.
KTG understands that the two parties will not merge – at least for now – but a body will be appointed in order to coordinate joint policies.
“Strong opposition, two in one, one voice,” Theodorakis said after the meeting with Gennimata adding “a big conference is planned for a new, unified party.”
DemAlignment (DISI) has 19 seats in the Palriament and To Potami 6.
DISI was formed in 2015 prior to the September snap election formed by the (PASOK) and the Democratic Left (DIMAR) a party that had left left-wing SYRIZA. In 2012, it formed a new aliance called Elia (Olive) in order to participate in the European Parliament elections. Last time PASOK managed a respectful result was in Sept 2009 with 43.9% and george Papandreou as leader. After the bailout of 2010, PASOK crashed to a thin 12.3%.
To Potami was founded in 2014 and won 6 seats in the last elections, however, public opinion polls in the last and current year showed that the party would hardly manage to enter the parliament in next elections.
With a third (brand)new alliance PASOK hopes to get rid of its heavy loaded and sinister past.
But not matter what the name and the winds of change, in the eyes of Greek voters, it is always the PASOK.
PS Now some mean Greeks hint at the party’s outstanding debts and claim that the tax office is confused with all the tax number changes. Every new party gets a new tax number.
Well, it keeps these idlers busy. After all ‘together’ they might even make the 3% need for parliament.