PASOK to hold leader election in the fall

With internal turmoil threatening to tear it apart in the wake of June's European Parliament elections, socialist PASOK is heading to leadership elections early in the fall, with relevant procedures expected to be launched at Sunday's crucial meeting of the party's central committee.

According to reports, the incumbent leader Nikos Androulakis will propose the holding of an electios in October, picking up the gauntlet thrown down earlier this week by Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, who requested November polls.

The current situation cannot "drag on" for long, Androulakis is reported to have noted.

On the one hand, he recognizes that as long as his leadership is doubted, his capacity for political interventions will be extremely limited. 

On the other hand, he probably considers that expediting procedures are in his interest, compared to the current mayor, in...