Haris Doukas sparked controversy with his remarks yesterday on Mega TV. He was asked what would happen if New Democracy failed to secure a majority in the first round of voting, and whether there was room for cooperation and a joint campaign with Alexis Tsipras’s party in the second round.
“We have stated that we will proceed independently; that scenario is not on the table. Our decisions are headed in a different direction. But I’ll say it again: if we have the opportunity—because New Democracy might, for example, get 25% and not receive the bonus—and we’re close to that, then the two parties should discuss whether we can create a situation that overturns the results.
Our combined total could be higher than New Democracy’s. In order for us to be able to cooperate, even in government, we need to discuss now what our positions are, what our platforms are, where we find common ground, where we disagree, and where we agree.”
Today, following the backlash, he posted the following:
Positions I firmly support:
Respect for PASOK’s independent course.
Support for the decision of the PASOK Congress—of which I was a key rapporteur—to reject any form or scenario of cooperation with New Democracy.
Support for the Congress’s decision on progressive governance.
Let’s put these into practice. By fighting the election campaign for PASOK and opening channels of communication with progressive forces to achieve programmatic convergence. This is the path to policy change and Political Change.
I am sharing a relevant excerpt from my recent television appearance.
The relevant point is at the nine-minute mark