As Greece’s Left struggles to find unity, former deputy minister Stefanos Tzoumakas, who quit the PASOK Socialists that are coalition partners in the government of Prime Minister and New Democracy Conservative leader Antonis Samaras, has founded his own party that opposes the austerity measures imposed by the government on the orders of international lenders.
Tzoumakas, who has served in four ministries between 1986 and 1998, held a news conference to announce the creation of the new grouping, which will be called the Socialist Party, riding the coattails of PASOK but trying to differentiate itself at the same time in what seems to be a sly stab at his former party abandoning its principles.
The ex-PASOK veteran, who was one of the founding members of the party, said that his new grouping would position itself against the terms of Greece’s bailout.
“The time has come for us to contribute to the rebirth of the socialist movement and the creation of a Socialist party that will be democratic and progressive,” he said.
There are a slew of splinter parties in Greece, often formed by dissidents who either leave their previous parties on their own or are booted out for failing to obey orders how to vote, and none of them have managed to gain a foothold with the public. Greek law requires they get three percent of the vote to win seats in Parliament.
PASOK leader Evangelos Venizelos, who was rewarded with the positions of Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister in return for backing pay cuts, tax hikes, slashed pensions and worker firings, is seeing the party slowly disintegrate to between 3-5 percent support in polls after getting 44 percent when it won the 2009 elections.
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