In the coming period, the battle between PASOK and the ELAS of Alexis Tsipras over who will prevail on the Left.
Recently, a fierce behind-the-scenes battle has been unfolding between PASOK and ELAS across the country. ELAS is trying to court PASOK officials, and vice versa.
PASOK has already accepted, as part of its supposed expansion, former SYRIZA candidates in regions such as Attica, Thessaloniki, Evros, Trikala, and Crete. These officials have even secured spots on the PASOK candidate lists, as Harilaou Trikoupi hopes to reach out to citizens who voted for SYRIZA.
Nikos Androulakis has already recruited Rania Thraski, Nikos Farantouris and Petros Pappas from SYRIZA, while the move of Nina Kasimati to PASOK is also considered a certainty.
The battle for the provinces
On the other hand, Alexis Tsipras is reaching out to disgruntled PASOK officials. Already, Antonis Saoulidis from Thessaloniki is part of the leadership team of ELAS.
However, the intense conflict between the two parties at the local level is evident in Achaea. There, the president of the Economic Chamber, George Pappas, has joined the core group of Tsipras’s associates, even though he was elected on the ticket controlled by the secretary of the Achaea prefectural branch of PASOK.
This caused quite a stir… at Harilaou Trikoupi, resulting in George Pappas resigning from his position, formalizing his alliance with Alexis Tsipras and his departure from PASOK. In fact, reports indicate that the former prime minister is reaching out to officials from Stavros Theodorakis’s To Potami party, who have joined PASOK in recent years.
Keep in mind that in the coming period, as the two parties finalize their candidate lists, this dispute will intensify.
Mutual accusations on the panels
However, beyond the behind-the-scenes drama, now even in their television appearances, leaders of PASOK and ELAS have begun attacking one another.
For example, Vangelis Tsogas, a close associate of Nikos Androulakis, launched a particularly harsh attack on Nikos Nifoudis, deputy spokesperson for ELAS, who once also served in PASOK. The PASOK official from ERT reminded Nikos Nifoudis that he had called Alexis Tsipras a “clown” and a “liar,” Alexis Tsipras, while the ELAS spokesperson accused PASOK of the country’s bankruptcy and of being unable to act as an opposition.
Harilaou Trikoupi has decided to open a front against Alexis Tsipras and in the coming days this will become evident as PASOK officials launch a relentless war against the representatives of Alexis Tsipras.
