Papandreou move plunges PASOK further into turmoil
The swearing-in yesterday of 300 deputies in Parliament was overshadowed by a clash between PASOK MPs and their leader George Papandreou over his decision to seek an expression of their support in a secret ballot. Papandreou made the unusual request at the end of a speech during which he accepted that he had made mistakes in his leadership of the party but also issued thinly veiled criticism of his opponents. «I agreed many times to reach a compromise on our positions or to follow the mean and ignore public statements that undermined the image of unity in our movement,» he said in a remark thought to be directed at his challenger for the leadership, Thessaloniki MP Evangelos Venizelos. Papandreou went on to tell the other 101 PASOK MPs that he had been wrong to accept a «velvet handover» from former Prime Minister Costas Simitis, rather than examine the reasons for the erosion of the party’s grassroots support. Papandreou also charged the media with «manipulating democratic institutions» and said he would fight to keep the «political system free of undesirable influences.» Papandreou concluded his speech by asking his MPs to show support for his leadership by voting in a secret ballot. The request caused a commotion in the chamber and Venizelos led calls for the scrapping of the planned vote. He accused Papandreou of making «an effort to snatch a vote of confidence» and dropping «a bomb that undermines the unity and prestige of the [leadership election] process that is under way.» Simitis followed, saying there was no reason for the issue to be put to a vote for this could cause the creation of factions within the party. Party veteran Apostolos Kaklamanis said he could not understand who had proposed this idea to Papandreou, adding that it was obvious he would have the support of PASOK MPs until the leadership vote on November 11. Kaklamanis also suggested a compromise solution of a voice vote to confirm support for Papandreou. This was adopted in a muddled fashion soon after the PASOK leader had left the chamber. Papandreou issued a statement a few hours later saying that he was «totally satisfied» by the outcome.
