By Haris Ioannou
The informal Tsipras-Androulaki competition for the representation of the democratic and progressive faction in Greece is transferred “away from home”.
Seeing the efforts of the SYRIZA president to appear as a “socialist”, participating as a guest in the meetings of the Eurosocialists while SYRIZA belongs to the Eurogroup of the Left, Nikos Androulakis intends to put a brake on the “expansionist” policy of the current anti-government.
At a time when the organizational, political and ideological reconstruction of PASOK / KINAL is in full swing after the internal party elections in December and the election of a new leadership, the president of the Movement is making a symbolic move. Next Monday, he will visit Portugal, a country with much in common with Greece, which is ruled – autonomously now – by the Socialists of Prime Minister Antonio Costa.
Although he will represent a (relatively small electoral) opposition party, Nikos Androulakis will have a summit with the Prime Minister of Portugal, who belongs to the same Socialist Eurogroup.
With this move and the top contact with the “Portuguese PASOK”, N. Androulakis tries to appear as the authentic exponent of the Social Democracy in Greece, sending an indirect but clear message to Koumoundourou that he is trying to maintain ties with another political space from the one to whom it belongs.
What is happening in Portugal
It is recalled that Portugal had parliamentary elections in January, as the previous Costa government lost its majority in Parliament, when the two small parties of the Left left the governing coalition.
The Socialist Party (PS) came out on its own and won 41.4% of the vote, occupying 120 of the 230 seats in the Portuguese Parliament.
Waterloo’s two parties of the Portuguese radical left, the Left Bloc (similar to the Greek SYRIZA) and the Communist-Greens alliance, seem to have been punished by the electorate for overthrowing the Costa government, which they co-ruled, and provoked elections rejecting the draft state budget for 2022.
Bloko (BE) sank from 9.5% in 2019 (19 seats) to just 4.4% and 5 seats. The Communists (PCP) from 6.3% in 2019 and 12 seats fell to 4.3% and 6 seats.
In fact, at that time SYRIZA’s reaction had caused a sensation, because Alexis Tsipras appeared to be celebrating for the re-election of Costa, at a time when “SYRIZA Portugal” lost by state. Koumoundourou had then issued two (!) Separate announcements for the congratulations and the Tsipras-Costa phone call, trying to “enter the political frame” of the winner.
The Portuguese program for 26,000 homes for young couples
During his visit, Mr. Androulakis will have the opportunity to talk with the Portuguese Prime Minister about the use of the Recovery Fund, the Portuguese program for the construction of 26,000 houses for rent with social criteria by young couples, in order to address the ever-increasing housing costs as well as ways to boost the extroversion of small and medium-sized enterprises. They will also discuss the need for a common European response to the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and the new Common Foreign and Security Policy strategy that the Union should have.
In this context, Mr. Androulakis will have successive meetings with the Minister of Economy and Digital Transition Mr. Pedro Siza Vieira, the Minister of Planning Mr. Nelson de Sousa, the Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Pedro Nuno Santos, the Undersecretary in charge of housing . Marina Gonçalves, the Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Eurico Brilhante Dias, the Deputy Minister for Development Aid, and the Vice-President of the European Socialist Party, Mr Francisco André the Head of International Relations, Ms. Jamila Madeira.
Who accompanies him
Mr. Androulakis will be accompanied by Mr. Nikos Christodoulakis, former Minister of Economy and Finance and head of the “In Social” Reservoir, Haris Doukas, Associate Professor at NTUA and Secretary of Energy of PASOK – Movement for Change, George Karamanos for George Karamanos Digitization, Stefania Mourelatou, Communication Director of PASOK and Nikolas Papazoglou, Associate of the President for issues of common European policies.
SOURCE: Thetoc.gr
Source: Capital
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