Papandreou tries to keep PASOK’s victory hopes alive
PASOK leader George Papandreou urged voters yesterday not to believe claims that the result of the upcoming election is a foregone conclusion, as he made his penultimate public address in Athens at the same time as Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was attempting to ensure that his party does not lose any votes in Thessaloniki. Government sources continued to insist that opinion polls conducted privately indicate that New Democracy will return to power with a clear but reduced majority. Papandreou told some 60,000 supporters, according to organizers’ estimates, that this was a sign the ruling conservatives were worried. «New Democracy is afraid of defeat and is scaremongering,» the PASOK leader said. «The machine that is putting out these rumors has a fixed name and address.» Papandreou insisted that the poll result is wide open. «Sunday’s election is a referendum… for the Right to go and for the road ahead to lead to a national revival,» said Papandreou, who kept repeating the phrase «let’s go together.» The PASOK leader also attacked Karamanlis’s record as premier. «He became the prime minister of vested interests, of scandals and cover-ups. He was an invisible prime minister, beholden and hostage to his kind and those he protects,» Papandreou told supporters. Campaigning officially ends at midnight tonight. The PASOK leader will complete his tour of the country with a speech in Patras. Karamanlis will wrap up his campaign at a rally in Athens. Yesterday, Karamanlis spoke in Thessaloniki, where he holds his parliamentary seat. It is one of the areas where ND is concerned that it may lose some votes to the right-wing nationalistic Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS), which could enter Parliament for the first time. Karamanlis made a point of focusing on foreign policy issues during his speech as it is an area of the government’s record that LAOS has attacked. He also spoke again of the «new patriotism» that he believes Greece has discovered in the wake of this summer’s devastating forest fires. «From what the flames left behind, we will hold onto the solidarity of our fellow citizens, our national unity and new patriotism,» said Karamanlis. He told voters that ND had already learnt from its mistakes and urged them to give him the chance to continue with the party’s reforms program.
