Greek opposition parties dream of creating 1960s-like Center Union

In the following days, the first – institutional – meeting of the president of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance Stefanos Kasselakis with the president of PASOK-KINAL Nikos Androulakis has been planned.

As announced today, the meeting is expected to take place at the end of the week or early next.

It is characteristic that both sides hastened to clarify that this is an “institutional” meeting, apparently in order to avoid associations and any discussion about… collusion between the two center-left parties, while officials from both sides do not hide that that is what they would desire.

The two political leaders also met on Saturday, October 28, during the military parade in Thessaloniki. The camera captured distancing between Mr. Kasselakis and Androulakis since they did not seem to even exchange a glance in any frame captured. However, according to information the two talked in a good atmosphere about various issues – but not of a political nature.

In the second electoral battle of the local government elections, the partnership bore fruit

Of course, the electoral percentage as well as the one given by the recent opinion polls for both SYRIZA-PS and PASOK-KINAL does not allow room for… “Bonapartism”, with several officials expressing the desire to go along. The percentages of both parties together in the national elections and in the subsequent polls do not come close to that of the New Democracy, despite any deterioration.

On the contrary, in the second electoral battle of the local government elections, it appeared that a possible partnership between SYRIZA-PS and PASOK-KINAL may bear fruit.

The victories of Haris Doukas, Dimitris Kouretas, Stelios Angeloudis and Chrysas Arapoglou against New Democracy candidates were the ones that rekindled the debate among officials of the two parties.

SYRIZA and PASOK officials call for cooperation

Giorgos Papandreou, from the electoral center of Haris Doukas, sent a message to Nikos Androulakis for the political cooperation of PASOK and SYRIZA, if not in the central political scene, at least in the European elections of 2024. Similarly, his brother, MEP with PASOK, Nikos Papandreou, emphasized a few days ago that Stefanos Kasselakis “brings fresh air”.

Pavlos Geroulanos has stated that he believes that there is a lot of fertile ground for grassroots cooperation between the two parties, while similar statements have been made by Theodoros Margaritis.

From the side of SYRIZA-PS, Stefanos Kasselakis from the first moment declared that the second Sunday of the self-governing elections was a victory for the progressive forces, indirectly, but not clearly, inviting them to participate.

Spirtzis leads the way

However, Christos Spirtzis is leading the way for a SYRIZA and PASOK alliance. “SYRIZA and PASOK must be amalgamated,” said the former Minister of Infrastructure today.

In the previous days he had emphasized that “I pointed out the need for a very close cooperation and collusion between SYRIZA with PASOK. From there on, if the two parties are not able to take big steps in order to satisfy the message sent by the progressive people of the country in the second round, they deserve their fate.”

The head of “Open City” Costas Zachariadis was from the first moment at the election center of Haris Doukas and strongly and openly supported him although, as he has stated, “SYRIZA cannot dissolve and make a joint ballot with PASOK”.

The fact is that the first official meeting of Nikos Androulakis and Stefanos Kasselakis may be “institutional”, however, it is estimated that executives and the base of the two parties are the two components that can push the leaderships on a consensus basis, especially, as it was seen in the second round of the self-governing ones, they bring result and victory against ND and Kyriakos Mitsotakis.