“A ridiculous approach,” said Anna Diamantopoulou the scenarios of pre-election consultations being plotted by the mayor of Athens with the faction of Alexis Tsipras.
“They do not represent the people of PASOK,” replied Haris Doukas, accusing her of “giving the government credit” because Diamantopoulou acknowledges the country’s sound fiscal performance. And so, PASOK spent yet another 24 hours proving that, while it aspires to govern the country, it struggles to even agree with itself.
The public clash between the two top officials is not merely a case of personal conflict. It is the clearest proof that behind the slogans about “alternative governance” lie two different parties under the same roof. On the one hand, there is Diamantopoulou’s reformist, centrist logic, which rejects any idea of political alignment with the traditional left. On the other hand, there is Doukas’s vision, which envisions a broader anti-right-wing front with open bridges to Tsipras’s camp.
What is most striking, however, is not the disagreement itself. In all parties, there are disagreements. What is striking is the leadership’s reaction. Instead of having its president step in to restore order, Harilaou Trikoupi resorted to the well-known Greek political tradition of “circles” and “leaks.” “Everyone is judged and takes responsibility for what they say,” party sources leaked, as if we were listening to an apartment building announcement about noise on the communal rooftop.
And this is where the real political problem lies. Just a few days ago, Nikos Androulakis had sternly declared that anyone who deviates from PASOK’s line “will not be a member of the faction,” threatening to expel anyone who “obscures the message of PASOK.” This was preceded by his famous pledge in 2024 that he had taken over the party and would not hand it over to a coalition partner. Very strong words. Very stern warnings. But when the first major public conflict erupted, instead of decisive intervention, we saw only anonymous leaks and a neutral stance.
That is why the well-known question posed by Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Who will answer the phone at Maximos at three in the morning at a critical moment for the country? Watching what’s happening in PASOK, the answer seems less certain than ever. The powerful Nikolas seems to be struggling to even answer the intercom at Harilaou Trikoupi Street, let alone the red phone at Maximos.
And as long as the two factions within PASOK continue to pull their president in different directions, the more his political presence will resemble that of an absent referee in a match that has already gotten out of hand. The clash between Diamantopoulou and Doukas may end in a few days. The problem for Androulakis, however, is that every such episode further erodes the prestige of his leadership. And today in PASOK, what stands out most is not unity. It is the absence of its president. Because when the two souls of the party clash, his own is nowhere to be found.
