Signs of disarray
The results of recent opinion polls have consolidated the impression that the ruling party is faced with more than an electoral defeat – debacle is the word. This grim prospect has mobilized the instinct for self-preservation. It is no coincidence that party debate focusing on the day after has intensified. The days when Prime Minister Costas Simitis was in control of the game are history. Should predictions of PASOK suffering a severe defeat in local and the prefectural elections in October become reality, the prime minister will be faced with intense internal skirmishing that is bound to destabilize his position. Neither rhetoric nor any number of spin doctors will do in this eventuality. It is not New Democracy which is PASOK’s main opponent. Rather, it is fatigue and growing public disaffection – not to say political revulsion in some cases. For this reason, it is extremely unlikely that the Socialists will be able to change the unfavorable climate. The ruling party seems to be unable to overcome its internal contradictions. These contradictions keep it paralyzed and help perpetuate the phenomena of dissolution. It is becoming increasingly clear that Simitis is finding it more and more difficult to forge solidarity within his party, let alone to inspire his Socialist cadres. The diverging personal objectives of the various party barons are becoming increasingly manifest. The criticism by top Socialist officials of Foreign Minister George Papandreou’s joint Mideast initiative with his Turkish counterpart, Ismail Cem, was an expression of the underlying struggle for succession to the premiership. Papandreou’s lead in this race has brought together his main rivals in an attempt to undermine his position. The Maximos Mansion is also taking part in this war, as it is not pleased to see Papandreou’s star rising. In such a climate, where party dissent fuses with behind-the-scenes machinations over the issue of succession, it is no surprise that PASOK’s fragmentation and signs of paralysis are on the rise. It is for this reason that the government’s reformist momentum has largely ground to a halt. The small number of ministers who are insisting on promoting their reforms clash with the overall negative climate as well as with the barons’ personal objectives.
