|
Dynasty politics in Greece challenged
Real estate news By George Anagnostopoulos
11/10/07
Greece's main opposition party, PASOK, lost its second election in a row on September 16th, and its chief, George Papandreou, now faces challenges to his leadership. Factions within the party have formed since the vote, and tensions are mounting. Even before the complete results were in, former Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos had thrown his hat into the ring. He has since been joined by another candidate, Costas Skandalidis. Their candidacies, along with Papandreou's, were confirmed at a party meeting at the weekend.
The leadership election will be held on November 11th. A recent poll by Metron Analysis showed Papandreou with a 13-point lead among party members, although paradoxically Venizelos, is more likely to win the next general election. Addressing PASOK at the weekend, Papandreou blamed the party's troubles on a shift away from its core values. "[PASOK] had become trapped in the functions of the state machine. We lost our soul and identity, we became stewards of power," he said. The new PASOK should be "populist, radical and patriotic", he added.
Populist politics were the stock-in-trade of his father, the late Andreas Papandreou. Starting in the late 1990s, however, the party took a more pragmatic approach under the leadership of Costas Simitis. In his speech to party members, Venizelos countered the younger Papandreou's comments. "What has happened to PASOK since election night is not about the past, but the future," he said. PASOK should be "radical but also all-embracing", he added. Should Papandreou lose the leadership post, it would represent a major break with dynasty politics in Greece. Over the past half century, two clans -- the Papandreous on the left, and the Karamanlis family on the right -- have dominated.
Send tips or a Letter to the Editor to editor@updatere.com
|
