Reformer Simitis chosen to replace Papandreou

By Patrick Comerford

Greece's ruling Pasok party yesterday chose Mr Costas Simitis (59) as its new leader following the resignation as prime minister of Mr Andreas Papandreou, who remains in hospital under intensive care.

Mr Simitis was chosen in a run-off involving 167 deputies from the party. He won with 86 votes, against 75 for pro-Papandreou candidate and interim prime minister, Mr Akis Tsohatzopoulos (56).

The latter had been expected to carry the election with the help of deputies who had voted in the first round for the two other candidates, the Defence Minister, Mr Gerassimos Arsenis – another Papandreou supporter, who garnered 50 votes – and a former deputy prime minister, Mr Yannis Haralambopoulos, who won 11.

Mr Simitis was a founding member with Mr Papandreou of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok). He emerged as a challenger to his ailing mentor last year and in opinion polls over the past two months was the favourite to win the succession race. His toughest rival was thought to be Mr Arsenis (64).

In recent weeks those close to Mr Papandreou’s wife, Ms Dimitra Liani, were said to have approached Mr Simitis offering support in return for assurances for her future.

Although yesterday’s vote makes him the new leader of the parliamentary party, he is in effect prime minister. He will receive his mandate from President Costis Stephanopoulos before facing a confidence vote in parliament. With a large absolute majority in the 300 seat parliament, Pasok should be able to serve out its four year term, which ends in October 1997.

Mr Simitis is considered the leader of Pasok’s reform and pro-EU wing. He has often criticised Mr Papandreou for dragging Athens away from Brussels politically, and in recent months was to the fore in demanding Mr Papandreou’s resignation. He led the “Gang of Four” who rose to challenge Mr Papandreou’s leadership after he won a third term in October 1993. The other members of the gang were the former European Affairs Minister, Mr Theodoros Pangalos, the former European Commissioner for Social Affairs, Dr Vasso Papandreou (no relation to the former prime minister) and Mr Paraskevas Avgerinos.

The Simitis-led government is likely to break with the past and move away from the populist politics of Mr Papandreou. The new prime minister also faces the challenge of ensuring Pasok survives the post Papandreou era and of rebuilding the party in time for next year’s elections. He is expected to oversee a major shake-up of the present administration.

Mr Simitis previously served as Agriculture. National Economy, Education and Industry Minister and has been a member of every Pasok cabinet since 1981, when Mr Papandreou first swept to power.

He is a Supreme Court lawyer with his own practice. He studied law and economics in Marburg and at the London School at Economics, and taught commercial law in Athens. In 1967, when the military junta took power, he escaped abroad and rallied against the colonels with Mr Papandreou until returning to Greece after the fall of the dictators in 1974. He was first elected to parliament in 1985, and was respected for the austerity programme he introduced in 1985-1987.

Mr Simitis was named Industry Minister in 1993 but resigned in anger when Mr Papandreou blamed him publicly for bungling a privatisation plan for a state shipyard. The row and his resignation made him the natural leader of the party reformers.

He is married and has two daughters.

Mr Papandreou’s resignation this week ended nearly two months of political paralysis and confusion in Greece since the 76-year-old leader was admitted to hospital on November 20th, suffering from pneumonia and other illnesses.

This news report was published in ‘The Irish Times’ on 19 January 1996