PASOK, the battle of the second round: Doukas seeks allies, Androulakis promises outreach to other candidates

Mayor Haris Doukas’ team is planning to improve his image in Attica, where he faces an unfavorable correlation of forces after placing fourth. He is now seeking alliances with the other four candidates from the first round, while Nikos Androulakis has already indirectly but clearly opened the door, committing to appointing all leadership candidates to critical roles in the party. This move aims to project a fresh image for PASOK, a response to criticisms following the European election results.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, Pavlos Geroulanos will meet with both Nikos Androulakis and Haris Doukas in Parliament.

Doukas is campaigning on the dilemma of “stagnation or a change in leadership for a new winning start,” hoping to rally a large portion of the “70% that voted for leadership change,” as he mentioned after the election results outside PASOK’s headquarters on Charilaou Trikoupi Street. Doukas’ team sees a debate with Androulakis on public television (ERT) as their main advantage in this final phase.

Androulakis has responded positively to Doukas’ call for a debate. Representatives from both campaigns will meet on Tuesday to finalize the date and format. Androulakis’ team has proposed Wednesday for the debate, though this coincides with a city council meeting in Athens, chaired by Doukas, who prefers Friday.

The debate proposal

“I’ve just contacted ERT and requested a debate. It’s important to have a live, productive dialogue about the future of PASOK – the Movement for Change – and the country,” Doukas emphasized, insisting on the need for open and meaningful dialogue between the two candidates. “This proposal comes ahead of PASOK’s second-round internal elections, which are expected to shape the party’s future and strategic direction,” note close associates of the Athens mayor, stressing that the goal and responsibility of both candidates is to ensure broad participation in the polls on the second Sunday.

It should be noted that in the 2021 election, with main candidates N. Androulakis, G. Papandreou, and A. Loverdos, voter turnout dropped from 272,000 in the first round to 206,000 in the second round.

The Geroulanos drama

In the first round, as expected in the polls, PASOK’s current president came in first, but with less than 30% of the vote. Athens’ mayor, Haris Doukas, repeatedly found himself just narrowly behind Pavlos Geroulanos, threatening to miss the second round.

The battle for second place lasted several hours, with the campaigns of all three contenders watching closely. Androulakis again won the first round, but with about 10,000 fewer votes than in 2021, and he leads Doukas by eight points, with seven days left to secure or disprove a likely comfortable re-election to PASOK’s leadership.

Doukas narrowly escaped elimination by Geroulanos, thanks to weak results in Athens and Attica. Now, Doukas hopes for a last-minute “upset,” aiming to attract much of the 70% who voted against Androulakis in the first round.

Other candidates and participation

It’s certain that the other four candidates who didn’t make it to the second round won’t take a clear stance in favor of either candidate. This was evident from their statements late last night, where they indicated they expect both contenders to maintain unity and political decorum. Experienced members believe that Androulakis’ lead gives him the upper hand in making the next moves in the internal party battle, while Doukas must work harder to build alliances, particularly in Attica and other urban centers.

Despite high hopes, Doukas underperformed in Attica and Thessaloniki, while showing strong results in Larissa and Ioannina. Participation in the election exceeded expectations from 2021, with 303,223 members and supporters voting, but there was no significant turnout from other political spaces, as some had hoped.

The participation mainly came from PASOK’s base, despite claims that candidates like Geroulanos and Anna Diamantopoulou attracted some less politically active voters.

Doukas received 64,490 votes and 21.41%, while Androulakis led with 89,288 votes (29.64%).