After Androulakis’ Re-Election: Key Moves and Key Players Shaping PASOK’s Future

Nikos Androulakis promises to proceed with immediate initiatives for change and the composition of forces within PASOK, attempting to capitalise on the momentum of his re-election to the leadership and address a wider audience, with the aim of upgrading the party’s role in the political scene.

Ok. Androulakis won clearly in yesterday’s second-round election battle with 59.9% and 126,222 votes (139,492 he had received in 2021 in the corresponding process) against Harry Doukas ( who recorded 40.1% and 84,512 votes). He pledged that in the new, political, and extremely demanding period, he would have the whole PASOK with him in the front line, but he celebrated his victory last night at Charilaou Trikoupis without his fellow candidates, who however welcomed his victory with unifying messages and declared themselves present and present on the “next day”. He made no specific reference to the initiatives he intends to undertake, but his associates described the “strong mandate of continuity” he received as a starting point for the pursuit of a credible and combative opposition, which de facto requires a climate of unity and cooperation to succeed.

PASOK officials predict that in the next few days, Androulakis will be in contact with his fellow candidates as well as with MPs and party officials, who accompanied him from his political office yesterday to Harilaou Trikoupis for the awards. Vangelis Tsogkas (member of the Central Committee), who had the main responsibility of his campaign, the two State deputies Dimitris Mantzos and Panagiotis Doudonis, Pavlos Christidis, the European Parliamentary candidates Lefteris Karchimakis, Kostas Tsoukalas and Olga Markogiannaki are some of the persons who will be promoted to key positions. The rearrangement of forces in the parliamentary group is taken for granted, while the Congress called for by first-round candidates such as Anna Diamantopoulou “as a new human geography has emerged in PASOK” is one of the next “stations” from which the new leadership team will emerge.

With his victory statement, in front of a crowd gathered outside the offices of Charilaou Trikoupis, at half-time of the Greece-Ireland game, Androulakis turned to his relationship with his opponents and tried to convince them that he is calling them to move forward together, leaving behind the tensions and controversies of the intra-party showdown that began after the defeat (of his declared goal for second place) in the European elections. “There are no winners and losers. The winner is PASOK and the Democratic Party. So from tomorrow, united we will take our Movement even higher! Where its history and its contribution deserves,” the PASOK leader said, opening up to “voters who are disappointed by government policy” and especially to “younger generations who must embrace the patriotic progressive movement.”

The first calls

After the first aggregate results were announced, Charis Doukas contacted Nikos Androulakis by phone to congratulate him on his re-election. In his statements – in Charilaou Trikoupis also just down the road from PASOK’s headquarters, where his office is located – Dukas stressed that unity and participation of all is necessary for the strengthening of the party. “We all continue together for a big and strong PASOK that can win,” he said, reiterating the importance of collective effort. According to officials who supported his candidacy, Dukas managed to register a strong result despite the fierce attacks that, although he was newly elected Mayor of Athens, he decided to also contest the leadership of PASOK and do something that cannot be done, namely “to fit two watermelons in one armpit”. Dukas, as he stressed, will seek to contribute to the collective effort of PASOK to gain a governmental perspective, while from today he will promote actions and initiatives in the Municipality based on programmatic priorities.

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“From tomorrow we start the struggle for victory in the next national elections and the end of the Mitsotakis government. We have not a minute to lose,” was the message of the statement by Pavlos Geroulanos, who, like the other candidates for leader in the first round, contacted yesterday to congratulate Androulakis on his re-election.

I would like to congratulate from the bottom of my heart Nikos Androulakis on his re-election to the leadership of PASOK – Movement for Change.

We move forward united, coordinated and determined under his leadership. Without any asterisks, without circumlocutions.

I also want to congratulate Harry Doukas for…

– Pavlos Yeroulanos (@P_Yeroulanos) October 13, 2024</blockquote

One of the first to call to congratulate him on his re-election was Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who reportedly expressed his desire to meet soon with the re-elected PASOK president, stressing the importance of cooperation for the political future of the country. If it happens, it will be the first meeting and detailed discussion between Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the also Cretan politician and leader of PASOK. Androulakis also received a phone call from the chairman of the parliamentary group of the ailing SYRIZA, Nikos Pappas, who congratulated him on his re-election, expressing wishes for good strength in his work. This was preceded by a phone call from Stephanos Kasselakis to the president of PASOK: the former SYRIZA president offered his congratulations on his re-election – but made sure to punctuate his post with references to PASOK’s “impeccable democratic procedures”, attempting to contrast this election with what is happening in SYRIZA leading to its expulsion from the leadership and its exclusion from candidacies.

Today, the first day after the election battle, Androulakis decided not to include meetings and rallies in Charilaou Trikoupis in his schedule. This is because he wants to attend the funeral of the Mayor of Aigialia, Dimitris Kalogeropoulos, a PASOK cadre in the region who passed away prematurely. In the evening, Androulakis will attend an event organised by the Athens Professional Chamber of Athens, organised by Yannis Hadjitheodosiou to award people with innovative initiatives.

The scores in the regions

Only in the region of Epirus did Haris Dukas manage to cut the thread first, although he recorded strong performances in other regions. Nikos Androulakis prevailed in all other districts and by strong margins. He came first in Athens and in Attica, despite facing the Mayor of Athens, Haris Doukas. He dominated again in Crete, where his candidacy exceeded 80%, and scored one of his best percentages in the North Aegean.

The final results for the regions are as follows:

Attica Region

Androulakis 60.39%

Dukas 39,61%

Region of Crete

Androulakis 82%

Dukas 18%

Northern Aegean Region

Androulakis 66, 96%

Dukas 33,04%

Region of Central Macedonia

Androulakis 58,24%

Dukas 41,76%

Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace

Androulakis 56,41%

Dukas 43,59%

Region of Western Macedonia

Androulakis 57,7%

Dukas 42,3%

Region of Thessaly

Androulakis 55,47%

Dukas 44,53%

Region of Peloponnese

Androulakis 54,03%

Dukas 45,97%

Region of Central Greece

Androulakis 55,05%

Dukas 44,95%

South Aegean Region

Androulakis 55,18%

Dukas 44,82%

Region of the Ionian Islands

Androulakis 55,25%

Dukas 44,75%

The Region of Western Greece

Androulakis 52,97%

Dukas 47,03%

Epirus Region

Androulakis 49,74%

Dukas 50,26%

In other key battles, the percentages recorded by the two gladiators show the trends of the second round and possibly last-minute local alliances. Specifically:

*Municipality of Athens

Androulakis 59,02%

Dukas 40,98%

*Theroniki Regional Unit

Androulakis 59,12%

Dukas 40,88%

*Municipality of Thessaloniki

Androulakis 57,19%

Dukas 42,81%

*Western Sector

Androulakis 58,39%

Dukas 41,61%