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DIMAR, PASOK Lifeboat Shootout

PASOK chief Evangelos Venizelos (L) and DIMAR leader Fotis Kouvelis are far apart
PASOK chief Evangelos Venizelos (L) and DIMAR leader Fotis Kouvelis are far apart

With their parties bordering on extinction, the leaders of the PASOK Socialists and the Democratic Left (DIMAR) face challenges from members upset they aren’t embracing a new center-left movement, The 58 Initiative, that wants Greece’s disparate left to form a united front for the May, 2014 European Parliament elections.
PASOK chief Evangelos Venizelos, who set aside party principles to become a partner in Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative Antonis Samaras’ coalition, and DIMAR leader Fotis Kouvelis are being questioned hard by some in their parties what they intend to do about working with The 58, whose leaders themselves are squabbling over whether their movement should become a full-fledged political party or just stand on the sidelines shouting encouragement.
The 58’s idea of a strong, centralized left doesn’t include the major opposition party Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA) which opposes the austerity measures being imposed by the government, policies which have rankled some PASOK lawmakers and even some in New Democracy.
PASOK, standing at about 5 percent territory in the polls would be irrelevant if Venizelos hadn’t joined the government as Deputy Premier/Foreign Minister, and DIMAR chief Fotis Kouvelis, whose party is even worse off with 3 percent, are facing turmoil in their parties over what to do about The 58. There is even talk that Venizelos could face a leadership challenge.
The newspaper Kathimerini said 11 of PASOK’s 27 Members of Parliament sent Venizelos a letter asking for a meeting of the party’s central political committee to be called so he could discuss with them whether to co-operate with The 58, which wants a common leftist Greek front before the critical European Parliament elections in May.
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras said he believes those polls will repudiate New Democracy and PASOK and the government will fall in favor of his party. That would jeopardize the remaining due in a second bailout of $325 billion from the Troika of the European Union-International Monetary Fund-European Central Bank (EU-IMF-ECB.)
Tsipras said he wants their money but not the attached austerity measures and would try to re-do the deal or walk away from it and not pay the loans if he takes over.
Venizelos was reportedly peeved by the request because some of the 11 would-be rebels are linked to former premier and previous PASOK leader George Papandreou, who resigned in 2011 in the wake of relentless protests, strikes and riots against big pay cuts, tax hikes and slashed pensions he imposed on Troika orders.
With PASOK adrift and floundering, there’s also a rift growing in DIMAR where Party Secretary Spyros Likoudis he he’s quitting that post because he’s upset Kouvelis won’t even talk to The 58 as DIMAR is on the verge of disappearing, largely because Kouvelis too backed austerity measures that are antithetical to the party before leaving the coalition government.
“The dilemma is whether we will take a position of national responsibility and form a bulwark against bipartisanship or whether we will look to preserve ourselves at the threshold of electoral survival,” said Likoudis.

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