PASOK-Movement for Change regarding the government’s proposed bill on Local Government was expressed by Nikos Androulakis, speaking at an event organized by the Enlargement Committee and attended by party leaders, mayors, and local government officials from municipalities and regions.
At the same time, he sharply criticized the government for its broader policy, which, as Mr. Androulakis said, results in widening inequalities, emphasizing that the people have a choice in the elections, and that choice is PASOK.
“Stability does not mean compromising with growing inequalities. Stability does not mean getting used to injustice, the trampling of institutions, the rules of the Parliament, and the decisions of the judiciary. And instability is not the pursuit of a better life. “Citizens have had enough of false dilemmas,” he continued.
He emphasized that political change will emerge alongside society, which is the force “of the people, for the people, and not of the establishment, for the establishment.” “The Greek people have a choice. They have a vision. And that vision is the Democratic Alliance: with a well-thought-out plan, serious political leadership, and a new ethos in the exercise of power. So that the country can truly turn the page.”
“The struggle for a Greece of justice, dignity, and prospects does not belong to any ‘irreplaceable’ figure. It does not belong to any poor imitator. Society does not need a one-man show or expensive PR campaigns. It needs a convincing plan that offers a way out of its problems. And we will all fight this battle together, always in the open, without being beholden to powerful economic interests.
Our strength lies in our roots in society and among ordinary people. This is the unique legacy of the Democratic Movement, the Movement of great progressive and social change, and this is the unique DNA of the modern and renewed PASOK,”he emphasized.
He accused the government of attempting to impose a model of centralization, control, and dependence on local government as well, since “behind the grand rhetoric about modernization lies a deeply centralizing conception of power. A conception that does not trust society and elected institutions.”
“Behind all this lies New Democracy’s fear of the popular verdict in the upcoming local elections. They do not hesitate to even tailor the electoral systems to their own needs. They are ruthless,” noted the PASOK president.
“We are talking about a comprehensive cultural shift in the functioning of the state and local government: with a genuine decentralization of powers, resources, and responsibility to where the citizen is, in the local community. This change requires clear policy choices and a concrete plan, with clear pillars,” he added, presenting the pillars of the PASOK-Movement for Change proposal.
- Institutional safeguards and genuine autonomy for local government through the creation of an Independent Supervisory Authority for Local Government,
- Financial self-sufficiency and fiscal decentralization
- Administrative autonomy, meritocracy, and modern services
- Metropolitan governance and genuine multi-level administration
- Green transition, resilience, and energy democracy
- Democracy, participation, and a welfare state close to the citizen
Nikos Androulakis reiterated that “today, society’s demand is clear: Political change. Not merely a rotation of faces and mechanisms of power. Political change means a change in mindset. A change in priorities. A change in the country’s course. Political change means a government that is not beholden to special interests,” and added that the country needs politically independent figures who have no patrons or sponsors.
Source: APE