“Elections now, so there can be political change; we will investigate where every last euro from this period went. Anyone who has squandered public wealth will pay, so that this saga—which discredits politics and undermines citizens’ trust in politicians, and especially in the government—can finally come to an end,” Nikos Androulakis emphasized, among other things, in an interview on ALPHA’s evening news broadcast.
He emphatically reiterated that the goal of PASOK-Movement for Change is to “come in first, even by a single vote, so that New Democracy goes into the opposition.”
She explained the proposal for a pilot implementation of the 4-day workweek, which is a commitment of her party, describing it as emblematic, and proposing“that a pilot program be launched immediately for companies with more than 20 employees. Where it is implemented on a pilot basis, the program remains in place and continues to operate. As Ms. Kerameos said, it does not concern grocery stores and taverns(!), but specific job positions in design firms, human resources departments, and marketing.”
Mr. Androulakis added that the proposal calls for incentives to improve working conditions and gradually extend the program to other sectors of the economy. “So how can Ms. Kerameos say that half of all businesses will close, when what we are proposing and will implement as a government is a pilot program and not mandatory? Are they once again showering the Greek people with lies?” he asked.
He took a jab at the government for rejecting outright “anything innovative I propose,” starting with housing.
When asked about the meeting of the Conference of Presidents of the Hellenic Parliament regarding the filling of leadership positions at independent authorities, Nikos Androulakis spoke of unprecedented maneuvers to derail the process regarding the Personal Data Protection Authority: “One candidate secured a 3/5 majority, and the Speaker of the House, instead of proceeding with the process, stood up and left. And this concerns an independent authority that has been leaderless since Mr. Menoudakos’s resignation. Instead of being the Authority’s president today, Mr. Kaklamanis stood up and left. There was never an agreement with New Democracy regarding two specific individuals, and I have the means to prove it at any time. “So, New Democracy wanted a backroom deal—we don’t engage in bargaining—and the other parties, out of the 60 resumes, didn’t have a single good thing to say about anyone. So there is a lack of respect for institutions here,” he emphasized.
“They are opportunists and unscrupulous. They contradict themselves; I have nothing more to say. In fact, I challenge the Speaker of the House to come to the Conference of Presidents and move the process forward. We will submit the same proposals, not because one is from PASOK and the other from some other party—I don’t know any of them, nor which party they vote for. We evaluated the résumés according to specific criteria,” he added.
Regarding developments in the illegal wiretapping case, the PASOK president spoke of a diversion.
“I was vindicated by the Council of State; the Tsiaras law was ruled unconstitutional. Who is not implementing the decision? Mr. Mitsotakis, as head of the EYP, is preventing the Council of State’s decision from being implemented, to my detriment. The decision of the single-judge misdemeanor court comes out, and it vindicates me as well. And suddenly, the Supreme Court prosecutor who authorized the wiretaps—even though the court ordered ‘further investigation of the case’—shelves it. Let the Greek people draw their own conclusions,” he said.
“All of this describes a deviation,” Mr. Androulakis continued. “Mr. Mitsotakis is a prime minister of deviations, faithful to his family’s traditions. Addressing the Greek people, I ask them to give us the strength to bring about political change, to become a normal European democracy where Parliament, the judiciary, and independent authorities function, and where everything is not just backroom bargaining as it is today.”
In the wake of government leaks suggesting that national security grounds would be invoked so that forming an investigative committee on illegal surveillance would require a majority of 151 MPs, he commented: “Why was the investigative committee approved in 2022 with 120 votes? In fact, we summoned the then-director of the EYP, appointed by Mr. Mitsotakis, to the investigative committee. Everything we write in our text is what was heard during the open hearing at the criminal court.” He claimed that the Israeli retired officer is blackmailing the prime minister. “Mr. Mitsotakis wants to avoid this trap. And what does he do? Another institutional balancing act.”
Regarding the new party being formed by Mr. Tsipras, Mr. Androulakis made it clear that “New Democracy fights anyone who takes votes away from it. The defection from New Democracy will not go to Mr. Tsipras. If it goes anywhere, it will go to PASOK. That is why New Democracy is fighting PASOK. And they can’t say that PASOK closed the banks; they can’t say all the things they’re saying to draw comparisons and steer the conversation back to 2015, instead of discussing 2026. This narrative suits New Democracy just fine.”
Regarding the resignation of Haris Kastanidis and the points he raises in his letter, Mr. Androulakis noted that at the PASOK conference, it was decided almost unanimously that MPs would serve five terms and no more, MEPs three terms, and presidents of third-tier organizations three terms. “We didn’t do this for Mr. Kastanidis; it affects many people, even me, since I was a Member of the European Parliament. We did it to send a message to society that politics isn’t just about the Greek Parliament, the European Parliament, and the ‘presidencies,’” stressed the president of PASOK-KINAL, noting that Mr. Kastanidis did not attend the PASOK conference to express dissent. “As for the characterizations, this isn’t the first time; he’s consistent. He has used the same words to attack both Andreas Papandreou and Costas Simitis. That is why Andreas Papandreou expelled him, Kostas Simitis dismissed him, and he split PASOK during George Papandreou’s presidency,” commented Mr. Androulakis.
SOURCE: APE