Party leader Nikos Androulakis conveyed a message of unity in his address at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the founding of PASOK, with its declaration of 3rd September, at Zappeion on Tuesday evening.
The leader of PASOK-Movement for Change (KINAL) underlined in his message, "We are here, not simply to honor this great anniversary, but to convey a clear and nonnegotiable message - at this new era, PASOK will be united, strong, and ready for the great and difficult struggles ahead!"
In his speech, Androulakis expressed joy that the event was attended by all generations in the party, showing its cohesion, and he mentioned by name founder Andreas Papandreou, as well as key figures of the movement like Melina Mercouri, Giorgos Gennimatas, Karolos Papoulias, and Anastasios Peponis. He also mentioned the former party leaders, Kostas Simitis, George Papandreou, and Evangelos Venizelos (who spoke earlier), as well as the late Fofi Gennimata for her courageous and decisive efforts to restore the party.
"This is the bold, charming, and hope-filled journey I invite you to continue for the coming decades, building a new relationship of trust with the Greek people, with our guiding light being our ideas, principles, and values, but also a commitment written in stone, that we will not repeat what has hurt the feelings of citizens," Androulakis said.
The party leader highlighted among others the party's landmark decisions, including Greece's integration in the eurozone under Kostas Simitis and the efforts of George Papandreou to prevent the country's bankruptcy when "the clientelistic state of the Right brought the country to the edge of the cliff." He also spoke of the efforts of Evangelos Venizelos to save Greece and restore its economy "without considering the political cost."
Androulakis criticized ruling New Democracy and its policies, commenting, "After a ten-year economic crisis, the Greek people truly expected better days." Instead, he said, there was no vision or plan, but "forging ahead without remorse, with their only concern to remain ruling." New Democracy, the PASOK-KINAL leader said, was his party's only political enemy. "Only PASOK can open the door wide for the exit of [Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis and his groupies," he said, while warning the path forward for PASOK would "not be strewn with rose petals, but it is a one-way street."
Reiterating that the path forward would not be easy, the PASOK leader called for unity to achieve victory as an independent party. "With PASOK, we shall unite progressive social powers of Greece. Today, the unity, political independence, and renewal of our movement has been achieved. We achieved it together in three consecutive elections. PASOK is here, united, and stronger than any other time in the last 10 years," Androulakis underlined.