Democratic Alignment

By Loukas Apostolides

Midsummer Night's Dream, William Shakespeare's romantic comedy, is one of the most frequently staged plays in the entire world.

Ever since 2012, the "return of Pasok" to the central political stage is reminiscent of the play, as there were no results on the path to return.

Evangelos Venizelos, a former leader of the socialist PASOK party, and foreign minister, has quit the Movement for Change (KINAL), the socialist alliance that got third place in last week's European Parliament election.

At a party conference, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis called on party officials and supporters to join forces to "change Greece" and "get rid of the worst government of the post-dictatorship era."

Accusing the administration of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of lies and arrogance, Mitsotakis said it is ND's duty "to unite people, to persuade them that there is another way."

Launching the conservative party's 11th two-day conference on Saturday, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed to party officials and supporters to join forces in order to "change Greece" and "get rid of the worst government of the post-dictatorship era."

The name of the new center-left party comprising PASOK, To Potami and other social democratic forces will be Movement for Change, it emerged on Tuesday following a meeting in Parliament between PASOK leader Fofi Gennimata and the head of Potami, Stavros Theodorakis.

The name will be in use until the grouping's first congress, when it is expected that it will be rubber-stamped.

A new opinion poll carried out by the University of Macedonia on behalf of Skai found that conservative New Democracy maintains a strong lead over ruling leftist SYRIZA, but Democratic Alignment (formerly PASOK) - apparently boosted by a leadership contest over the weekend - has risen to third place, knocking neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, which has been the third most popular party consistently in poll

Fofi Gennimata has won the elections for the leader of the under formation centre-left party after she won 57.17% of the 87% votes counted against her opponent Nikos Androulakis who received 42.83%.

Nikos Androulakis, a member of the European Parliament and rival of Democratic Alignment leader Fofi Gennimata in Sunday's runoff election for a leader of the new center-left party, has called for a large voter turnout.

"I am calling on citizens to vote," he said on Tuesday, adding that the effort to reform the center-left in Greece needs a mass turnout of voters this weekend.

Democratic Alignment (PASOK) chief Fofi Gennimata heads into the runoff election against Nikos Androulakis for the leadership of the new center-left party as the favorite after her emphatic victory in Sunday's first round.  

Gennimata won 42.76 percent of the vote, 17 points ahead of Androulakis - a member of the European Parliament and a former PASOK party secretary.

Campaigning by candidates for the leadership of the new center-left party officially ends on Friday night, two days before elections take place on Sunday, with speeches by the leader of To Potami Stavros Theodorakis at Zappeion Hall in Athens and PASOK MEP Nikos Androulakis at the Vellidio Conference Hall in Thessaloniki.