PASOK leader ready to defend position amid party turmoil

PASOK president Nikos Androulakis said on Monday that he is ready to hold a party leadership race after coming under fire for the socialist party's mediocre performance in the European elections. 

"I am ready to be evaluated at any moment by the progressive party's base," Androulakis said in an interview with state broadcaster ERT, adding that "if people want something different, they will choose it."

The PASOK leader also expressed disappointment at how quickly his leadership was challenged from within his own party.

"I have tried during the years I have led the party, to set aside the attitudes that have harmed us, extending a hand in all directions. It saddens me that some did not wait for the process to be completed," he said. 

Androulakis also commented on a potential challenge for the party leadership by the Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, who recently...