Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-10-24

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leadersip candidates tour country

[01] PASOK leadersip candidates tour country

The three contenders of the main opposition PASOK's leadership addressed separate rallies in different parts of the country on Wednesday supporting their candidacy in the November 11 nationwide vote in which party members and registered friends and supporters are scheduled to participate.

Current leader and contender George Papandreou addressed a rally in Agrinio, western Greece, on Wednesday, committing himself in "fighting against extra-institutional centres" and promising a PASOK which "will remain a Movement and an expression of the people."

George Papandreou, Thessaloniki deputy and former minister Evangelos Venizelos as well as Athens MP and former party secretary Costas Skandalidis are the three main candidates in this much-expected election.

Papandreou defended what he called the "autonomy of politics" against "vested and all kinds of extra-institutional interests", saying that "not only vested interests are against the autonomy of politics but all those who come to their service as well."

He also said that changes being currently promoted within the main opposition party "will also signal changes in the political system, precisely with the safeguarding of the political autonomy of parties."

Addressing a rally of supporters in the western Peloponnese city of Patras later in the evening, Papandreou termed the November 11 election as an "unprecedented democratic process, taking place outside mechanisms and bureaucracy."

PASOK, he said, "is present with a new unity based on truth, and every one should assume the responsibility of this unity," also asking from party members and supporters a new "binding mandate" for himself as well as for the entire party leadership.

He said he was asking the new mandate in order to build a new PASOK which would "defeat the right wing party," because it (PASOK) will be "in rift with all kinds of establishement."

The PASOK leader also criticised sharply the ruling New Democracy (ND) party for its entire policy saying that "ND was thinking that our crisis would cover up its own problems but it is ND which faces today a crisis and an impass."

On his part, Venizelos continued his tour of Crete with a visit to Iraklio prefecture, municipality and PASOK�s youth organization.

Venizelos initially visited Iraklio prefecture where he met with deputy prefects Manolis Kokosalis and George Maris, the president of the Prefectural Council, George Alexakis and prefectural advisors.

The next stop was Iraklio Town Hall where he met with Mayor Yiannis Kourakis and other mayors of the prefecture, while in the evening he addressed a rally of supporters at an inddor stadium of the city.

Skandalidis was in Larissa, central Greece and called for ?the irrationality to stop,? in reference to the situation prevailing in the party.

Continuing his two-day tour of Thessaly with Larissa as his last stop, Skandalidis met in the afternoon with members of PASOK�s Prefectural Committee.

Asked to coment on ?the seriousness of the crisis in PASOK,? he stressed that ?the magnitude of the crisis depends on how one sees it.? He concluded by saying, ?the irrational talk should stop, we should go to a procedure through which we will overcome this difficulty.?

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