Athens Mayor urges PASOK leader to cooperate with Tsipras against ruling party

Athens Mayor Haris Doukas has publicly called on Nikos Androulakis, the leader of Greece's PASOK party, to engage in dialogue and potential cooperation with Alexis Tsipras, the head of the SYRIZA party. Doukas argues that the primary political adversary is the ruling New Democracy party, led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and that progressive forces must unite to challenge it.

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We must not exclude dialogue, because the real opponent is New Democracy.

Doukas's appeal, made on the "MEGA Saturday-Sunday" program, directly challenges the official PASOK leadership's stance. Androulakis has repeatedly rejected any possibility of collaboration with Tsipras, maintaining a critical rhetoric towards him. This internal disagreement signals potential rifts within the center-left opposition.

The mayor emphasized the danger of a fragmented opposition, warning that it could inadvertently benefit New Democracy. He suggested that PASOK should not interpret its commitment to an independent path as isolation or exclusion. Instead, he proposed that if the combined strength of PASOK and SYRIZA could create conditions for a change in government, a discussion about their platforms and potential convergences is necessary.

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Autonomy should not translate into isolation, enclosure, or exclusion of other forces.

Doukas also subtly criticized Anna Diamantopoulou, a prominent PASOK figure, for suggesting that the opposition to New Democracy should cease after the elections. He stressed that New Democracy remains the sole opponent both before and after elections, requiring clear dividing lines. Doukas believes PASOK should focus on appealing to the roughly 70% of citizens who desire political change, rather than concentrating on the smaller portion likely to vote for the incumbent government.

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New Democracy is the sole opponent both before and after the elections, which requires clear dividing lines.