PASOK chief accuses Kasselakis of being puppet in bid to undermine opposition
Nikos Androulakis, whose socialist PASOK party is currently polling in third place ahead of next month’s European Parliament elections, sought to deconstruct leftist SYRIZA opposition leader Stefanos Kasselakis on Wednesday, portraying him as a puppet manipulated by government-controlled media in an effort to weaken the opposition.
“This individual seems to enjoy a unique immunity from both New Democracy and the domestic oligarchy. The unprecedented media blitz, lacking any political substance, is unprecedented in the country’s political history. It seems to suit this figure – I hesitate to call him a politician – to discredit the opposition,” Androulakis said in an interview with Skai TV.
“In nations grappling with democratic challenges in both quality and institutional aspects, those in power aim to cherry-pick their adversaries. Presently in Greece, the media apparatus overseen by Mr Mitsotakis seeks to enforce such conditions to stifle any political opposition,” he said.
Androulakis made these remarks a day after Kasselakis dismissed the possibility of collaborating with him following the June 9 vote. Despite this, in a late Tuesday interview with the regional Attica TV channel, the SYRIZA leader reached out to both the public and officials of PASOK with whom there may be common ground.
