Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-09-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK to elect leader on November 11

[02] SYRIZA assesses election results

[01] PASOK to elect leader on November 11

"All the members of the Political Council committed themselves unanimously to enable PASOK to turn, all of them making the impossible possible, this difficult time into a great opportunity of reconstruction and revival for the party," the spokesman said.

Raggousis stressed that the Political Council "confirmed at the same time that the party's top priority is to exercise responsibly and systematically the role that it has assumed with the mandate of the Greek people, both inside and outside the Greek Parliament, to defend the interests of the country, the interests of the Greek people."

Referring to the procedures agreed on, the spokesman said that "following the address made by the party's secretary, Mr. (Nikos) Athanasakis, and with the agreement of the members, it was agreed in principle that the Political Council will convene once again with the purpose of discussing the proposal to be prepared by members of the body, a proposal concerning the causes of the party's recent election performance in the latest national elections."

He added that "secondly, the party's National Council will convene on October 6 and 7 which, in turn, will convene the National Conference, that will take place on November 3 and 4, for November 11 to come when we shall have the heightening of this sustained and united course of the party with the election of the president of the party for the next four years."

Lastly, Raggousis said that "immediately, after the period following November 11, the regular congress of the party will be programmed and organised, as this is anticipated by the charter, that has already been ratified."

[02] SYRIZA assesses election results

The Political Secretariat assessed that "ND sustained a decrease in its strength in votes and in percentages and paid, to a certain degree, the cost of its neo-liberal policy."

Despite all this, it added, "it has, unfortunately, a Parliamentary majority even a thin one" and predicts that "the policy that it will follow will be even tougher towards the world of labour and youth."

Referring to the Orthodox Popular Rally (LAOS) party, SYRIZA said that "we must not allow the entry into Parliament of the far-right, populist and xenophobic LAOS to pollute the social and political life of the country with its reactionary, chauvinistic and racist ideas."

Focusing on the outcome of the elections with regard to the PASOK party, the Political Secretariat underlines that this party "sustained a heavy defeat, precisely because it did not succeed to differentiate itself from the strategy of the government. It paid for its identification with privatisations, austerity in Greece and the European Union, the abolition of the public university (the subjection of research to private economic criteria), the dissolution of labour relations and of social security."

On the question of the image of the Left after the elections, the Political Secretariat noted that "today there are increased possibilities of expression," however, it stressed that "this possibility must not be led to disdain in the name of intraleftist competition which, as a matter of fact, strengthens the social opponent, capital."

SYRIZA expressed regret because "unfortunately, the leadership of KKE (the Communist Party of Greece) is igniting such a civil conflict and is undermining efforts for the cooperation of the entire Left in movements, society, as well as in politics."

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