In politics, strategy is not just a theoretical schema. It is the compass that shows where a person, a party, a faction is going.
In the case of mayor of Athens Charis Doukas, however, the compass seems to be constantly turning in different directions. And the more time passes, the more people – both inside and outside PASOK – talk about a political presence full of contradictions, double messages and multiple “faces”.
The mayor of the capital appears, depending on the audience and the context, to move simultaneously in three different political fields: the centre, the broader centre-left and – in some cases – in a space that approaches the rhetoric of the radical left. The result is a picture of political ambiguity that is embarrassing even to members of his own party.
The “progressive alliance” game
Harris Doukas has made no secret of the fact that he sees the idea of a egreater progressive alliance in the centrist space positively. In several public interventions he has left open the possibility of partnerships that could include forces outside PASOK, even persons from the SYRIZA, and in particular he is leaning towards the nascent party of Alexis Tsipras with the… blessings of Giorgos Papandreou, an implacable enemy of Nikos Androulakis.
This stance, however, has caused intense irritation in party circles of Charilaou Trikoupis, who believe that the Athens mayor is attempting to appear as a “crutch” for a broader leftist convergence, in effect undermining the party’s autonomous course.
In this background, PASOK officials note that several of his close associates in the mayoral staff have clear political references to the Left. In fact, there are more than a few who accuse the mayor of having given key positions in the Municipality of Athens to persons from this political sphere.
The double language towards Androulakis
Harris Doukas’ attitude towards PASOK president Nikos Androulakis is even more complex.
On the one hand, in public statements he declares that he supports the party’s leadership and that there is no question of challenging it. On the other hand, however, there have been more than a few times when he has left clear criticisms of the party’s functioning and strategy.
His most characteristic phrase was when he claimed that “any position other than the first would be a failure for PASOK”. A statement that many interpreted as an implicit questioning of the party’s current course and the effectiveness of the leadership.
Executives of Harilaou Trikoupis note meaningfully that this attitude creates a permanent sense of political “double game”: public support for the leadership, but at the same time criticism of the party’s course.
The congress episode
This image culminated at the recent PASOK congress. There, Charis Doukas appeared to lower his tone considerably, stating that there is no question of challenging Nikos Androulakis.
This shift did not go unnoticed. Political observers noted that the mayor of Athens appeared more “conciliatory” at a time when the party’s chairman had already made sure to include him in the Central Committee by proxy. For many, the timing was no coincidence.
“Dukas knows when to clash and when to retreat,” a central political scene official commented meaningfully. “The problem is that ultimately he doesn’t know which way he wants to go.”
Mayor or party player?
At the same time, Charis Dukas is also coming under increasing criticism for the way he perceives his institutional role as mayor of Athens.
According to his critics, the capital’s mayor must function as the city’s “first citizen”, above party lines. Instead, however, Duke often appears to intervene in purely political terms in matters on the central political scene.
This has led many municipal officials to speak of a mayoralty that is used more as a political springboard than as a field for running the city.
The problem of strategy
The main problem for Harry Dukas, according to experienced political analysts, is not his differing positions. It is the absence of a clear political plan.
At times he appears to flirt with the left. At other times he moves to the traditional centre of PASOK. And at other times it attempts to play the role of an internal party player, leaving spikes for the leadership.
This picture has created a mosaic of political messages that often contradict each other.
The mayor of contradictions
The result is that Charis Doukas has begun to be seen by many on the centre-left as a politically ambiguous person.
A politician who sometimes appears as a spokesman for the “progressive alliance”, sometimes as a loyal soldier of PASOK and sometimes as an internal critic of the leadership.
And the more this ambiguity continues, the more it reinforces the sense that the mayor of Athens has not yet managed to decide exactly who he wants to be on the Greek political scene.
Maybe, in the end, Harry Doukas’ biggest problem is not his opponents, but his own political mirror.
In politics, however, multiple facades are not a sign of flexibility; they are a sign of confusion. And in the case of Harry Doukas, this confusion is starting to become apparent to everyone.Sometimes he appears as a mayor who is supposed to represent all Athenians, across parties and colours. At other times as the standard-bearer of a vague “progressive alliance”. Sometimes as a supporter of Nikos Androulakis and sometimes as a suggestive critic of the PASOK leadership.
The problem is not just political. It is institutional. Because the mayor of Athens is not a party agent to test roles, weigh ambitions and send double messages to Charilaou Trikoupis.He is the first citizen of the city, an institutional role that requires clear speech and clear choices.
But when a politician appears with a triple or even quadruple mask, all he ultimately manages to do is muddy the waters and confuse everyone: the citizens of Athens, the members of his party, and even his own allies.
And then the question is not whether Charis Doukas has ambitions for the leadership of PASOK. That is almost self-evident. The real question is another: whether he can decide in time which person he will ultimately keep – the mayor of Athens or the would-be leader.
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