On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement launched a sharp political attack on former Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras following his broadcast interview on private television network SKAI.
In an official statement issued by its press office at Harilaou Trikoupi headquarters in Athens, the opposition party accused Tsipras of deep political contradictions regarding post-election partnerships, fiscal policy, and pledged pension bonuses.
PASOK targeted comments made by Tsipras concerning proposals to reinstate Greece's 13th pension and 13th salary bonuses. The party highlighted that while PASOK has formally committed to restoring the 13th pension in two installments alongside a gradual return of the 13th salary, Tsipras asserted during his television appearance that he was not a populist to promise such measures at the Thessaloniki International Fair.
The socialist party noted that within the same statement, Tsipras described himself as fiscally prudent while simultaneously boasting that his administration had legislated the restoration of the 13th pension in 2019. PASOK emphasized that both bonus payments were central pillars of Tsipras's campaign platform during the 2023 general elections.
PASOK questioned why Tsipras committed to the 13th pension and 13th salary in 2019 and 2023 under tighter economic conditions, yet labeled their return as populism in 2026 when Greece has greater fiscal space. The party urged citizens to reflect on his political consistency and evaluate his true priorities.
Political Dilemmas and Past Coalitions
Addressing Tsipras's framing of Greece's political landscape, PASOK stated that a new dilemma of Tsipras or chaos had emerged to replace the previous slogan of Mitsotakis or chaos. The party argued that this choice was presented with arrogance and self-admiration by a politician who suffered historic electoral defeats while serving as prime minister and leader of the main opposition.
According to PASOK, Tsipras presided over the largest margin of victory for a governing party ever recorded in Greece's post-1974 democratic era, known as the Metapolitefsi. The party stated that rather than reducing the strength of the leading party, Tsipras caused the primary opposition party to collapse at the ballot box.
PASOK also described Tsipras's comments on future post-election governance as comical, criticizing his decision to cite his past coalition government as an example. The party recalled that Tsipras chose to govern twice in coalition with Panos Kammenos, leader of the far-right Independent Greeks party.
Background on Greek Political Landscape
Alexis Tsipras served as Prime Minister of Greece from 2015 to 2019 as leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left, known as Syriza, before losing office to current Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of the conservative New Democracy party. PASOK, officially known as the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, is Greece's historic center-left party and currently forms part of the parliamentary opposition.
The 13th pension and 13th salary refer to annual bonus payments traditionally provided to Greek retirees and public sector workers, which were severely curtailed or abolished during the country's international bailout programs. The Thessaloniki International Fair is Greece's flagship annual economic trade show held every September, where national political leaders traditionally outline their economic policy agendas.
PASOK Alternative Vision
In its closing remarks, PASOK stated that political parties based on tight circles of allies and closed systems of power, acting as traffic controllers for special interests, cannot challenge established structures or alter the country's trajectory.
The movement asserted that it alone can express and guarantee meaningful political change through a progressive platform, qualified political personnel, and freedom from external dependencies, with the goal of moving Greece forward rather than backward.
