The final round of elections for the leadership of Greece’s Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) will take place tomorrow, Sunday, October 12. The leading candidates are in a last-minute campaign frenzy, working to connect with as many voters as possible before the polls open, but in very different ways.
PASOK Elections
In the previous round of elections, held last week, incumbent PASOK leader Nikos Androulakis took the lead with over 30% of the vote. On Sunday, he will face Athens Mayor Haris Doukas, a professor of engineering specializing in energy policy at the National Technical University of Athens, as his opponent.
The turnout of approximately 300,000 voters and ‘friends’—who were allowed to register on the spot last week—positions PASOK firmly as Greece’s main opposition party.
Bolstered by the high turnout in the first round of elections and looking ahead to tomorrow’s election box, Androulakis has said, “On Sunday, we vote for the next government.”
Last-Minute Campaigning
An article in To Vima highlights the ongoing battle for endorsements up until the last-minute, with both candidates vying for the support of historical figures of the party.
In an effort to cover as much ground as possible, on Friday, Androulakis campaigned in Thessaloniki, engaging with voters. And on Saturday he will spend the final day before voters head to the polls in central and northwest Greece, visiting Larissa and Ioannina.
Meanwhile, Doukas is spreading his key message of ‘change’ and new beginnings for PASOK through interviews and social media. He will spend Saturday at his home base, attending a flag-raising ceremony at the Acropolis and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Syntagma Square.
Political Ambitions vs. Reality
While Androulakis asserts that voters will choose Greece’s next government on Sunday, recent polls reveal a significant gap between New Democracy and PASOK.
New Democracy’s support has dropped by 19% since it won 41% of the vote in 2019, but it still holds 21.9%, compared to PASOK’s 12.2%, according to a poll conducted by OPEN television between September 30 and October 2.
