The riot police forces members are guarding the government residence Maximou after a spontaneous protest by police against the pension reform, Photo: Alexandros Michailidis / SOOC, source: lifo.gr
From 44% in the elections in October 2009, PASOK has collapsed to 4-5%. The vast majority of the social strata that supported the centre-left space passed over to SYRIZA because it believed the populist sirens.
This shows that the political reconstruction of the space is an extremely difficult task. On the one hand, because of the lack of large social groups to support it and on the other, because the leaders of the existing formations PASOK and Potami seem trapped in their own traps and in the logic of their own survival during elections.
In theory, the centre-left space can be easily reorganized by making everything from scratch, namely through a founding congress on the example of the French Socialist Party and electing a leader and the managing body by its members and supporters. As I said, everything from scratch, so that this space can become a reliable partner of the pro-European conservative New Democracy party and a serious alternative to the government of the country in the future.
Do you share the concerns of some analysts that if what you have described does not happen, there is a great probability of SYRIZA occupying the centre-left political space for years?
SYRIZA will collapse. This party does not have the anthropogeography that would enable it to make a social-democratic proposal. Just that part of citizens who feel closer to social democracy will spread to the other political spaces. If the Greek social democracy does not organize itself in a short time, it will disappear from the political map as a major political factor for several decades.
Previously you forecast that the government would fall within weeks and expressed concern over what might follow. What do you see happening in the coming months?
Things are so complex that it is very difficult to make a clear forecast. I still believe that the most likely scenario is for SYRIZA to collapse over the next few weeks. If this happens, I do not see how this composition of the parliament could form a credible government. Therefore, the most likely scenario is for SYRIZA’s self-dissolution to be followed by new parliamentary elections, which however will be accompanied by all the dangers for the country brought by this option.