PASOK congress signals Venizelos departure
PASOK launched its 10th congress on Friday, which will pave the way for current leader Evangelos Venizelos to step down and a leadership vote to take place next Sunday.
Venizelos briefly addressed the congress, which is taking place in Athens, on its first day but is due to give his main speech on Saturday. The former finance minister said he will explain why he has decided to resign a year before his four-year term as leader is due to expire.
PASOK’s president appeared to suggest that the behavior of leadership rivals played a part. The two front runners in the leadership contest are former ministers Andreas Loverdos and Fofi Gennimata. MP Odysseas Constantinopoulos is also in the running, while party secretary Nikos Androulakis has yet to declare his intentions.
Apart from the country’s economic challenges, PASOK’s financial difficulties were also discussed on the first day of the congress. The party’s managing director, Nikos Salayiannis, said that the gathering had only cost 60,000 euros and was paid for from contributions by party MPs and members who cast ballots to decide which delegates would attend.
Salayiannis also explained how PASOK had been forced to cut its expenses and staff. The party now has 33 employees compared to 250 several years ago. Due to its lack of funds, the workers who have remained work on rotation shifts rather than full time, Salayiannis said.
