Political council without Papandreou

The political board of PASOK will meet at noon today without George Papandreou. The members of the political instrument of the party will discuss procedural issues one day before the two-day meeting of the national conference. They will discuss the timing of the conference, the keeping of the statute, and the organization of intraparty elections so far, which are scheduled for Sunday, March 18.

Until today, they have been making attempts to rally members and party staff to go to elections. They have identified economic hardship in the local organizations, while MPs and staff across Greece are contributing financially in order to carry out the process. In recent days, these efforts seem to have been working and the interest in internal party developments seems rekindled all over Greece.

Just before the national conference, Papandreou's seven captains the heretofore government spokesman Panos Beglitis, were found on the side of Evangelos Venizelos. Beglitis said yesterday that he is resigning from his position in PASOK and will support Evangelos Venizelos for the presidency of the party. Thus, the majority which belonged to the close environment of Papandreou expressed their support for the deputy prime minister, who has now gathered almost all of the parliamentary group on his side.

After the internal party elections, the party will be guided towards re-establishment, followed by the relevant financial statement of Papandreou’s period.