Who and why?
We’re being asked to vote for Yiannis Tzannetakos not for what he was (an outspoken journalist loyal to Simitis’s brand of modernization) but for what he became after his decision to run for office and thanks to strenuous efforts to erase his former self – that is, a politician who does not hesitate to present himself as a devout Christian and to give interviews indiscriminately, even to the far-right press. We’re being asked to vote for Fofi Yennimata not for what she is or for what she may become but purely because she is there, repeatedly flashing the same vote-winning smile and – more significantly – bearing a surname with clout (indeed, it seems the political marketplace is teeming with relatives of major names). In the case of Dora Bakoyianni, however, we are being asked to back not what she is but what she is certain to become if her party comes to power (a frontline minister) or if her party doesn’t come to power (its next leader). We are certainly not being asked to vote for Christos Papoutsis for what he was (the most «memorable» moment of his career being his resignation as merchant marine minister after the Express Samina tragedy). Nor are we being asked to vote for him for what he is likely to become. In fact, we are only being asked to back him because PASOK failed to find a more convincing candidate for the mayoral spot. Overall, we are so concerned about who should get our vote that we give little thought to what we should be voting for…
