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27 Απριλίου 2014
Δημοσίευση15:07

Former coalition party leader plays down links to Papandreou

Fotis Kouvelis, the head of Democratic Left (DIMAR) who quit the current ruling coalition last June over the closure of former state broadcaster ERT, played down links between his party and former Socialist Premier George Papandreou over the weekend ahead of a scheduled joint appearance by the two men at a book launch in Athens on Monday.

Δημοσίευση 15:07’
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Fotis Kouvelis, the head of Democratic Left (DIMAR) who quit the current ruling coalition last June over the closure of former state broadcaster ERT, played down links between his party and former Socialist Premier George Papandreou over the weekend ahead of a scheduled joint appearance by the two men at a book launch in Athens on Monday.

Fotis Kouvelis, the head of Democratic Left (DIMAR) who quit the current ruling coalition last June over the closure of former state broadcaster ERT, played down links between his party and former Socialist Premier George Papandreou over the weekend ahead of a scheduled joint appearance by the two men at a book launch in Athens on Monday.

“George Papandreou has not expressed an interest in joining DIMAR,” Kouvelis said in comments to Skai on Saturday, adding that the scheduled appearance “has nothing underneath it.”

He conceded, however, that Papandreou’s attendance of an event on Monday to launch a book by former PASOK cadre and Euro MP Marilena Koppa “paints a certain picture,” an apparent suggestion that Papandreou was seeking to pique PASOK, the party that he used to lead. Using rather harsh terms, Kouvelis appeared to suggest that DIMAR was not interested in a cooperation with Papandreou, who signed Greece’s first international bailout in 2010. “DIMAR is no one’s scrapyard,” he remarked.

On Friday, DIMAR MP Grigoris Psarianos had suggested, also in comments to Skai, that the scheduled appearance of Papandreou at the book launch could end up boosting the former coalition partner. “Perhaps DIMAR could see an increase in its support with Papandreou’s supporters getting the message: ‘Vote DIMAR,’” he said.