Positioning PASOK as a viable alternative

Can PASOK position itself as a viable alternative to Kyriakos Mitsotakis' New Democracy? This will be the central question in the second round of the socialist party's leadership elections. While incumbent president Nikos Androulakis currently holds the lead, a turnaround by Haris Doukas, the mayor of Athens, is not out of the question. That said, Doukas appears to lack momentum in Athens, where he finished third among all candidates in the first round. It is evident that the public does not support his excessive ambition to claim party leadership after only nine months as mayor of Athens, especially without demonstrating significant achievements in that role.

Should Androulakis be re-elected leader, his primary challenge will be to unite the various factions within PASOK, as evidenced by the multiple candidacies in the first round. Most importantly, he must embrace the two...