PASOK must clean up its act
Ongoing revelations regarding the activities of Akis Tsochatzopoulos, a one-time Socialist defense minister who has been arrested on money-laundering charges, underscore the fact that the once-dominant PASOK has come full circle.
The party, now under the leadership of former Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, will never really manage to restore its damaged credibility and return to power unless it severs its ties with ?old PASOK.?
Now a member of the crisis coalition government, the party has so far not taken any steps in that direction, neither on the level of symbolism nor in terms of political staff.
Failure to clean up their record will inevitably come at a dire political cost for the Socialists.
Venizelos is obviously trying to galvanize the fighting forces within the party. However, he will never succeed in attracting the broader electorate unless he convinces the public that he really wishes to leave PASOK?s sinful past behind.
