The Panhellenic Socialist Movement celebrated 52 years since its founding on Thursday, September 3, 2026, with party leaders and lawmakers launching a motorcade tour across local villages on the Greek island of Crete.
Party officials formed a convoy of automobiles to visit rural communities across the region, where lawmakers and local party members gathered to mark the anniversary. Greek news outlet protothema.gr published photographs showing the procession as green party officials travelled through local villages.
A green agricultural tractor decorated with PASOK's iconic rising sun emblem was brought out during the tour and driven by Member of Parliament Eleni Vatsina. The demonstration drew energetic participation from prominent politicians who recently joined the party.
Riding alongside Vatsina on the tractor were European Parliament member Nikolas Farantouris and Thessaloniki A Member of Parliament Rania Thraskia. Farantouris, who joined PASOK after being expelled from the Coalition of the Radical Left, held a green PASOK flag while posing on the vehicle. He previously gained attention for playing the piano and delivering speeches in Brussels before taking part in the rural Cretan tour.
Thraskia, a former SYRIZA member who joined PASOK in 2025, was also pictured smiling on the tractor as the party delegation toured small towns and villages across the island.
Village Visits and Traditional Dinner
Following the daytime tour, PASOK president Nikos Androulakis hosted a dinner for lawmakers and party officials at the Halavro tavern in the village of Psychro, located in the Lasithi regional unit of eastern Crete. Attendees reported strong enthusiasm during the gathering, particularly for the traditional Cretan dishes served at the event.
The menu featured antikristo, a traditional Cretan style of slow-roasting meat over an open flame, alongside oven-baked pork with potatoes. Guests were also served dakos topped with cracked olives, dolmadakia with yoghurt sauce, fresh salads, local raki, and wine.
Party Leadership Speech in Heraklion
Later on Thursday evening, September 3, Androulakis addressed a public rally in Heraklion, Crete's administrative capital, to mark the anniversary of the party's founding on September 3, 1974. In his speech, Androulakis said that it was not enough for party members to remain heirs to a great history, stating that the next elections belonged to their generation.
Androulakis told supporters that the Greek electorate did not owe another opportunity to former Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras or incumbent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He said that the country would move forward under the leadership of PASOK.
As part of the anniversary events in Heraklion, the party also staged a drone light show over the city, featuring a display of the green PASOK sun set to the music of Carmina Burana.
