PASOK is attempting to recalibrate its strategy once again after fresh polling showed the center-left party losing ground to two newly formed opposition forces. Once a dominant force in Greek politics alongside New Democracy before the debt crisis reshaped the country’s political landscape, the party now faces mounting pressure as elections approach and its hold on second place comes under challenge.
The latest opinion survey by Pulse conducted for greek TV television, SKAI, put PASOK’s vote share at 11.5%, down from 14.5 % in May, a three-point drop in a single month. The party retained third place in that poll, but only narrowly.
The two forces reshaping the opposition field are the Greek Left Alliance, led by former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, and Hope for Democracy, led by Maria Karystianou, both of which appear to be drawing support away from PASOK’s base, among others.
A regional stronghold holds
Not all news are grim for PASOK. A separate survey conducted for a cretan TV station CRETA showed PASOK performing strongly across much of the island, one of its traditional strongholds.
In Heraklion, PASOK led with 23%, ahead of the ruling New Democracy at 21.4% and the Greek Left Alliance at 12.8%. In Lasithi, it topped the poll at 28.8% versus New Democracy’s 26%. In Rethymno, it came in a close second at 27.8%, just behind New Democracy’s 28.4%.
The exception was Chania, where PASOK fell to third place with 12.8%, behind the Greek Left Alliance at 13.9% and New Democracy at 31.3%.
Party officials said the regional picture offered grounds for optimism.
Restructuring for a fight
In response to the growing electoral pressure, Androulakis is preparing what sources describe as an internal reshuffle and the creation of a shadow government. Under the plan, each PASOK lawmaker would be assigned to shadow a specific government minister, maintaining constant pressure on their counterpart.
The approach has already produced one visible confrontation. Parliamentary spokesperson Pavlos Christidis clashed with Labor Minister Niki Kerameos over PASOK’s proposal for a four-day workweek, a debate that played out against the backdrop of controversy over Greece’s recently passed labor reform legislation, which among other provisions allows optional 13-hour shifts. Christidis publicly demanded a debate with Kerameos on the issue.
The planned reshuffle was also cited internally as the reason for postponing a scheduled meeting of the party’s Political Council, with Androulakis reported to be in direct contact with lawmakers and party officials to allocate new responsibilities.
In a separate institutional move, three PASOK lawmakers wrote to the parliamentary Committee on Institutions and Transparency requesting the immediate hearing of Tal Dilian, founder of the company behind the Predator spyware, and Grigoris Dimitriadis, former Secretary General to the Prime Minister.
Ballot lists taking shape
The party’s candidate selection committee met and reviewed progress on building electoral lists across the country. Party officials said the process was on schedule, with candidates identified for roughly 70% of constituencies nationwide. Formal announcements are expected in early July, with work described as continuing across the country ahead of elections.
