The three main parties of the left-progressive space are engaged in the hunt for transfers, in an effort to broaden their audiences and prove that they constitute a pole of rallying for political change in the national elections.
So far, PASOK holds the lead, since it has already welcomed five figures who had been elected with SYRIZA (the Rania Thraskia, Petros Pappas, Alexandros Avlonitis who became independent plus Olympia Teligioridou and Lefteris Avramakis who were not elected in 2023) as well as Michalis Chourdakis, who had been elected with Plefsi Eleftherias and then moved to the party of Stefanos Kasselakis, from which he departed in the spring.
The inclusion in the party of Evangelos Apostolakis (currently independent, he had been elected with the State ballot of SYRIZA) is considered a matter of time, provided that agreement is reached on the electoral district in which he will be a PASOK candidate: First Piraeus or Chania.
The same applies to the also former SYRIZA member (currently independent) Nina Kasimati (she will again be a candidate in Second Piraeus), while the pending issue remains with Theodora Tzakri, for the prefecture of Pella.
The problem with the former SYRIZA and former Kasselakis party, today independent MP, concerns the famous “cutoff” voted by the PASOK congress in March, namely that those who have already completed 20 years in parliamentary seats cannot be candidates. (p.s. she herself has exceeded 22).
If there is agreement within PASOK to exempt cooperating parliamentary candidates from the “cutoff,” Ms. Tzakri will return to PASOK, from which she had departed in 2012 amid the memorandum storm in order to join the then SYRIZA.
This formula, however, is meeting strong reactions, so the question regarding her case remains open.
Information suggests that discussions are also taking place with the former SYRIZA/former Kasselakis party now independent MP, Giota Poulou (Boeotia), whom, however, Koumoundourou is also said to be sounding out for a return.
ELAS: Transfers but not of current MPs
Former PASOK officials have already moved to the ELAS of Alexis Tsipras, such as Marinos Skandamis, Antonis Saoulidis, Anna Papadopoulou, Marizeta Antonopoulou and Giorgos Boulmpasakos, who have not been elected MPs.
Mr. Tsipras has made it clear that he is not going to address current MPs of another party or independents and for this reason the discussions are limited, for the time being, to party officials.
In the coming days, the accession to ELAS of Roza Vrettou, former deputy head of the PASOK Health sector (herself a cardiologist doctor), is expected to be announced; she officially resigned from her former party on Thursday. Indeed provoking the anger of Charilaou Trikoupi, which considers her “past” for months now, given that she had not even attended the March congress.
This transfer has long been considered preordained, while she herself stated yesterday (to in.gr) that ELAS constitutes hope and for this reason “I align myself with its call.”
Speaking positively about ELAS, as a party of the progressive space with which PASOK must engage in dialogue, PASOK MP (in Halkidiki) Apostolos Panas expressed himself a few days ago, though no move arises.
SYRIZA: Sprint for collaborations or returns
As for SYRIZA, the need for cooperation with emblematic figures and “returns” of MPs who departed in the major crisis with the ousting of Stefanos Kasselakis is existential, as the party is not even approaching in the polls the threshold for entry into Parliament (3%).
The discussions of these days concern Nikos Kotzias (in the first case) and the currently independent MP, Kyriaki Malama (in the second).
The leaks also concern efforts at rapprochement with former ministers under SYRIZA who have no aspirations for ELAS due to a bad personal relationship with Mr. Tsipras.
The issue of the approaches overall is reportedly being handled by the president of the party’s Parliamentary Group, Rena Dourou, and announcements in the next period are not ruled out.