PASOK chief goes on attack
PASOK leader George Papandreou insisted yesterday that his party is united and ready to make an impact on the political scene, despite a poor showing in recent opinion polls. Papandreou took the unusual step of calling an unexpected press conference yesterday to defend his leadership ahead of a party congress later this month. «There is room for everyone in the new team,» said Papandreou, who was re-elected leader last November. «I am not handing out titles, I am dividing up work.» Papandreou insisted that he had no intention of walking away from the party and that the overwhelming support he received in November was not «a mandate to lead the party for three months.» «I am determined to achieve my goal, regardless of how long it takes,» he said in response to a question about whether he would reassess his position if PASOK performs badly in the European parliamentary elections next June. Papandreou insisted his party is just now emerging from the «crisis» of losing the national elections last September and then going through a leadership battle.
